Late last year, the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump on two articles:
- Abuse of Power
- Obstruction of Congress
Trump's allies have railed against both articles, but the obstruction of Congress charge has come under particular focus.
During its initial investigation, the House committees overseeing impeachment requested documents and witnesses from the White House, the State Department, and the Office of Management and Budget that would help get to the bottom of just what the deal was with Ukraine's foreign policy.
When they denied the House's request, the House subpoenaed the departments for the evidence. Claiming executive privilege, their subpoenas went ignored.
Republican critics say that Democrats should have taken Trump to court for defying their numerous subpoenas for witnesses and documents. They don't acknowledge that this would've extended impeachment likely past the very election Trump was soliciting a foreign power to influence.
Trump is currently in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, where he took questions from reporters following the Senate's opening debate to set the rules for the trial.
He ended up basically admitting to obstruction of Congress.
Trump said he didn't fear the efforts of Democratic House managers in the Senate because:
"I thought our team did a very good job. But honestly, we have all the material. They don't have the material."
Democrats have repeatedly admitted that the evidence withheld by the White House, the State Department, and the Office of Management and Budget may not implicate Trump, but his decision to block all of it certainly doesn't make him look innocent.
With Trump now bragging that his office is sitting on material that would bolster the Democrats' case, House Impeachment managers were quick to call him out.
People were stunned that Trump bragged about his guilt on camera.
On Tuesday night, Senate Republicans voted on party lines to delay the decision to subpoena witnesses and documents until next week, after the House Managers and the President's defense team have made their arguments.
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