The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current, January 21, 2020, Image 7

Historic Oregon Newspapers

The daily Astorian., January 21, 2020, Page 7, Image 7

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2020)

Prev Page of 16 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (1.4 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Prev Page of 16 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page TextA7 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2020 Trump’s lawyers urge dismissal of ‘ﬂ imsy’ impeachment By ZEKE MILLER, ERIC TUCKER and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s legal team asserted Monday he did “absolutely nothing wrong,” urging the Sen- ate to swiftly reject the “ﬂ imsy” impeachment case against him as rigged, while the Capitol braced for a contentious trial. The brief from Trump’s lawyers, ﬁ led as senators prepare to return to Washington for opening arguments, offers the most detailed look at the lines of defense they intend to use against Democratic efforts to convict the pres- ident and oust him from ofﬁ ce over his deal- ings with Ukraine. It is meant as a counter to a ﬁ ling two days ago from House Democrats that summarized weeks of testimony from more than a dozen witnesses in laying out the impeachment case. “All of this is a dangerous perversion of the Constitution that the Senate should swiftly and roundly condemn,” the lawyers wrote. “The articles should be rejected and the presi- dent should immediately be acquitted.” The 110-page brief from the White House, plus a scheduled House Democratic response, come as ﬁ nal preparations were underway at the Capitol for the Senate trial. With the trial taking place in an election year, some of the very senators running to replace Trump as president are sitting as jurors. The White House ﬁ ling shifted the tone toward a more legal response but still echoed with campaign-style slogans. It hinged on Trump’s assertion he did nothing wrong and did not commit a crime — even though impeachment does not depend on a material violation of law but rather on the more vague deﬁ nition of “other high crimes and misde- meanors” as established in the Constitution. With security tightening at the Capitol, the ‘ALL OF THIS IS A DANGEROUS PERVERSION OF THE CONSTITUTION THAT THE SENATE SHOULD SWIFTLY AND ROUNDLY CONDEMN. THE ARTICLES SHOULD BE REJECTED AND THE PRESIDENT SHOULD IMMEDIATELY BE ACQUITTED.’ excerpt from brief from Trump’s lawyers House prosecutors made their way through crowds of tourists in the Rotunda to tour the Senate chamber. The White House legal team led by Pat Cipollone and Jay Sekulow soon followed, both sides under instructions to keep the chamber doors closed to onlookers and the press. Four TV monitors were set up inside to show testimony, exhibits and poten- tially tweets or other social media, according to a person familiar with the matter but unau- thorized to discuss it who spoke on condition of anonymity. Senators are poised for only the third trial of its kind in U.S. history but ﬁ rst they must contend with a rules ﬁ ght and whether to allow new witnesses. The White House legal team said Monday it supports whatever pack- age Senate Majority Leader Mitch McCon- nell puts forward, including one that would give both sides 24 hours over just two days each to argue their case. In their own ﬁ ling Monday, House pros- ecutors replied to Trump’s not guilty plea by making fresh demands for a fair trial in the Senate. “President Trump asserts that his impeach- ment is a partisan ‘hoax.’ He is wrong,” the prosecutors wrote. The House Democrats led by Chairman Adam Schiff of the Intelligence Commit- tee said the president can’t have it both ways — rejecting the facts of the House case but also stonewalling congressional subpoenas for witnesses and testimony. “Senators must honor their own oaths by holding a fair trial with all relevant evidence,” they wrote. The White House document released Monday says the two articles of impeach- ment brought against the president — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — don’t amount to impeachment offenses. It asserts that the impeachment inquiry, cen- tered on Trump’s request that Ukraine’s pres- ident open an investigation into Democratic rival Joe Biden, was never about ﬁ nding the truth. “Instead, House Democrats were deter- mined from the outset to ﬁ nd some way — any way — to corrupt the extraordinary power of impeachment for use as a political tool to overturn the result of the 2016 election and to interfere in the 2020 election,” Trump’s legal team wrote. “All of that is a dangerous perversion of the Constitution that the Senate should swiftly and roundly condemn.” The impeachment case accuses Trump of abusing power by withholding military aid from Ukraine at the same time that he was seeking an investigation into Biden, and of obstructing Congress by instructing admin- istration ofﬁ cials not to appear for testimony or provide documents, defying congressional subpoenas. In a brief ﬁ led earlier, House Democrats called Trump’s conduct the “worst night- mare” of the framers of the Constitution. “President Donald J. Trump used his ofﬁ - cial powers to pressure a foreign government to interfere in a United States election for his personal political gain,” the House prosecu- tors wrote, “and then attempted to cover up his scheme by obstructing Congress’s investi- gation into his misconduct.” But Trump’s team contended Monday that even if Trump were to have abused his power in withholding the Ukraine military assis- tance, it would not be impeachable, because it did not violate a speciﬁ c criminal statute. The president’s team issued several opin- ions from the Justice Department’s Ofﬁ ce of Legal Counsel to back up its claims and sup- port its position that it had not illegally deﬁ ed Congress. One OLC opinion said the House inves- tigation was not formally opened until after some subpoenas were issued, making the demands legally unenforceable, while two others said that senior advisers of the presi- dent were immune from being forced to tes- tify in part because they handled national security matters. Opening arguments are expected within days following a debate Tuesday over rules, including about whether witnesses are to be called in the trial. Trump signaled his opposition to wit- nesses, tweeting Monday: “They didn’t want John Bolton and others in the House. They were in too much of a rush. Now they want them all in the Senate. Not supposed to be that way!” That’s a reference to former national secu- rity adviser John Bolton. House Democrats wanted him to testify but chose not to pursue a subpoena and risk an extended struggle in court. But he has said he is willing to testify in the Senate if subpoenaed. Trump takes victory lap at farm bureau convention By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press The serpentine throng of people waiting to clear a security checkpoint and see President Donald Trump was no deterrent to Texas cat- tleman Larry Bumpurs. With Trump’s successful trade negotia- tions and his “draining the swamp” of over- zealous federal bureaucrats, it was time well spent to hear the president speak at the Amer- ican Farm Bureau Federation’s annual con- vention, Bumpurs said. “This line is too short for me to tell you everything I like about Trump,” he said. Though the president may be criticized for his rancorous approach to politics, that’s of less consequence than his ability to get things done for agriculture, said Joe Cater, a fellow Texas cattlemen attending Trump’s Sunday speech in Austin, Texas. “This is not a personality contest,” Cater said. Bumpurs echoed this sentiment, noting that he wouldn’t be troubled even if Trump would “fart in public.” “He don’t have an edit button on his mouth,” Bumpurs said. Trump’s popularity among growers attending the Farm Bureau’s 101st conven- tion — his third annual appearance at the event — was never much in question. As the president pointed out during his speech, a recent poll pegged his approval rating at an all-time high of 83% among farmers. “I’m wondering, who are the 17%?” Trump asked the crowd, referring to dis- approving farmers. “Who the hell are the 17%?” After a moment, Trump seemed to recon- sider the question. “Don’t raise your hand,” he joked. While his previous appearances before the Farm Bureau were also met with gusto, Trump’s hardline approach to trade has been a source of concern for farmers who are par- ticularly dependent on exports. This time around, though, the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agree- ment and a partial resolution of the trade dis- pute with China appeared to relieve some of the tension about Trump’s strategy. Trump himself acknowledged the eco- nomic pain that farmers have suffered from the trade conﬂ ict with China, saying they were “targeted” with retaliatory tariffs on agricultural goods. He thanked the crowd for standing with him and noted it was their “fortitude, devo- tion and perseverance that made it all possible.” “Sometimes, you have to walk away from a deal to make the right deal,” Trump said. “And we had to walk away from this deal a lot, didn’t we?” Farmers for Free Trade, a nonproﬁ t that’s openly argued against trade hostilities, is not fully convinced the “phase one” agreement with China will calm the waters. China has committed to purchasing up to $40 billion of U.S. farm products during each of the next two years, roughly doubling the amount it bought before the trade dispute erupted. “We’re skeptical that’s going to happen,” said Brian Kuehl, the group’s co-executive director. The agreement is written with enough wiggle room for China to try renege on that commitment by arguing market conditions don’t justify the higher import levels, he said. “I’m worried the U.S. and China are talking past each other,” he said. The deal doesn’t explicitly eliminate tar- iffs on U.S. farm products and it’s hard to envision how farmers can increase their exports unless China takes that step, Kuehl said. Ramping up crop and meat shipments also takes time, he said. “The trade war has disrupted our supply chains.” Even so, Kuehl said he credits the deal for ﬁ nally reducing non-tariff trade barriers by standardizing import procedures for meat, milk and crops that have been in discussions for years. “The Trump administration has carried it across the ﬁ nish line and that’s good, that’s what we want to see happen,” he said. SEVENDAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA TODAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY American Farm Bureau Federation President Donald Trump speaks at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention Sunday in Austin, Texas. APPLIANCE PACKAGE DEALS APPLIANCE AND HOME FURNISHINGS 529 SE MARLIN, WARRENTON 503-861-0929 Over Mattresses, Furniture & More! 30 Y E A R S IN C L AT S O P COUNT Y SUNDAY MONDAY HOURS OPEN: MON-FRI 8-6 * SATURDAY * SUNDAY 10-4 We Service What We Sell REGIONAL FORECAST Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. Seattle 50 44 51 49 53 47 54 47 53 44 Rain Showers possible Breezy with rainBreezy with rain Periods of rain 53 43 Cloudy 52 43 A chance of rain Aberdeen Olympia 48/43 50/43 Wenatchee Tacoma Moses Lake 49/41 ALMANAC UNDER THE SKY TODAY'S TIDES Astoria through Sunday Tonight’s Sky: Due south, the Winter Circle is in good view by around nightfall and fi lls almost an entire quadrant of the sky. Astoria / Port Docks Temperatures High/low ................................ 59/46 Normal high/low .................. 50/38 Record high .................. 66 in 2005 Record low .................... 16 in 1935 Precipitation Sunday ..................................... 0.11” Month to date ........................ 9.02” Normal month to date ......... 6.56” Year to date ............................ 9.02” Normal year to date ............. 6.56” Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020 Source: Jim Todd, OMSI Sunrise today .................. 7:50 a.m. Sunset tonight ............... 5:04 p.m. Moonrise today .............. 5:15 a.m. Moonset today .............. 2:15 p.m. First Full High (ft.) Time Low (ft.) 10:01 a.m. 9.0 4:02 a.m. 3.4 11:41 p.m. 7.1 5:24 p.m. -0.2 Cape Disappointment 9:41 a.m. 9.1 3:17 a.m. 3.9 11:36 p.m. 7.0 4:40 p.m. -0.1 Hammond SUN AND MOON New Time Last 9:52 a.m. 9.3 3:39 a.m. 3.5 11:39 p.m. 7.2 4:54 p.m. -0.4 Warrenton 9:56 a.m. 9.4 3:46 a.m. 3.5 11:36 p.m. 7.5 5:08 p.m. -0.1 Knappa 10:38 a.m. 9.2 5:03 a.m. 2.9 none 6:25 p.m. -0.1 Depoe Bay Jan 24 Feb 1 Feb 8 Feb 15 8:55 a.m. 9.3 2:46 a.m. 4.0 10:52 p.m. 7.0 4:10 p.m. -0.3 City Atlanta Boston Chicago Dallas Denver Honolulu Houston Los Angeles Miami New York City Phoenix San Francisco Wash., DC Wed. Hi/Lo/W 43/26/s 29/20/s 27/18/s 54/39/pc 51/30/c 81/67/pc 58/40/pc 64/49/pc 71/43/pc 35/26/s 64/49/pc 57/49/r 39/24/s 50/34/s 37/27/s 34/29/pc 49/44/r 52/25/c 81/65/pc 58/54/r 65/49/s 67/62/sh 38/29/s 68/48/s 59/46/pc 43/28/s Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice. 37/32 Hermiston The Dalles 43/34 Enterprise Pendleton 41/27 43/36 41/33 La Grande 42/29 50/44 NATIONAL CITIES Today Hi/Lo/W 36/30 Kennewick Walla Walla 41/35 Lewiston 42/36 48/44 Salem Pullman 39/29 Longview 50/44 Portland 49/45 38/32 Yakima 39/31 47/42 Astoria Spokane 35/27 Corvallis 50/43 Albany 50/44 John Day Eugene Bend 52/43 43/32 44/28 Ontario 43/29 Caldwell Burns 40/22 45/30 Medford 47/39 Klamath Falls 39/29 City Baker City Brookings Ilwaco Newberg Newport Today Hi/Lo/W 41/26/sf 50/44/r 50/45/r 49/44/r 50/45/r Wed. Hi/Lo/W 39/34/sh 51/50/sh 52/50/r 50/48/r 51/49/r City North Bend Roseburg Seaside Springfi eld Vancouver Today Hi/Lo/W 52/46/r 54/44/r 50/45/r 52/44/r 49/44/r Wed. Hi/Lo/W 54/49/r 54/46/r 52/50/r 51/49/r 49/47/r