‘Donald Trump’s corruption puts even Richard Nixon to shame’, impeachment told
Donald Trump’s alleged corruption puts that of even disgraced ex-President Richard Nixon to shame, his impeachment hearing was told.
The president’s behavior was slated by impeachment manager Jerry Nadler – one of Trump’s most vociferous critics – at day two of the trial Thursday. He spoke after around a third of Republican senators failed to turn up on time for the hearing, despite strict rules compeling them to do so.
Nadler told the US Senate: ‘(Trump’s behavior) puts even President Nixon to shame…
‘President Trump has placed his own personal, political interests first..above our national security, free and fair elections, and checks and balances.’
Nadler continued: ‘This conduct is not America first, it is Donald Trump first.
‘The president has repeatedly, violently flouted his oath.’
Nixon was the 37th President of the United States and the only president ever to resign from the job.
He quit in disgrace in 1974 amid the Watergate scandal, after it was revealed he knew that members of his administration engaged in crimes including bugging political rivals, harassment and burglary.
Trump has denied charges of abuse of office and obstruction of Congress, and previously dismissed Nadler as ‘Fat Jerry’ during 2019 meeting with Republican politicians.
The pair have been enemies since the 1980s when New York Representative Nadler helped kill Trump’s plans for an enormous skyscraper on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Thursday’s impeachment hearing also saw a third impeachment manager, Representative Sylvia Garcia, explain in detail the allegations facing Trump.
She alleged that Trump had broken his oath of office by trying to get Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to probe potential political rival Joe Biden.
Trump reportedly got fixer Rudy Giuliani to offer Zelensky a coveted White House invite last July in return for a probe into Biden’s son Hunter.
Hunter Biden has faced questions over his appointment to the board of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma in 2014, despite an apparent lack of relevant experience and qualifications.
But Garcia called claims about Hunter Biden a side show, telling the Senate ‘There was no basis for the investigation that the president was pursing and pushing. None.
‘(Trump) was doing it only for his own political benefit.’
Trump is also accused of withholding $391million in military aid from Ukraine last July until his desired Biden probe was opened.
That cash, which was green-lighted by Congress, was eventually released in September last year.
Trump denies any wrongdoing, and has branded the impeachment process ‘rigged’ and a ‘witch hunt.’
Democrats will conclude the opening of their case against Trump Friday, with the president’s lawyers then given three eight hour sessions to mount his defense next week.
At least two thirds of all senators must vote to convict Trump for him to be removed from the White House.
The Senate currently has a Republican majority, with those senators considered unlikely to vote to remove their own president.