Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Maanvi Singh in San Francisco (now) and Joan E Greve in Washington (earlier)

Trump says Kurds 'didn't help us with D-Day' as Turkey attacks – as it happened

Trump said he had learned from a ‘very powerful article’ that the Kurds had not helped in the second world war.
Trump said he had learned from a ‘very powerful article’ that the Kurds had not helped in the second world war. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Live political reporting continues on Thursday’s blog:

Evening summary

  • Trump defended his decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria, allowing for Turkey to launch a military offensive against US-allied Kurdish forces in the region, noting that the Kurds “didn’t help us with Normandy”.
  • Republican senator Lindsay Graham teamed up with democrat Chris Van Hollen to draft sanctions against Turkey.
  • House Democrats are reportedly planning a new wave of subpoenas after the White House indicated it would not cooperate with their investigations.
  • The Justice Department announced it had arrested a Defense Intelligence Agency employee for allegedly leaking sensitive national security information to journalists.
  • For the first time, Joe Biden unequivocally called Trump’s impeachment.
  • Bernie Sanders said he “misspoke” when he said his campaign would slow down following a heart attack.

Senators unveil outline of bipartisan sanctions against Turkey

Senators have released an outline of potential sanctions against Turkey, following news of the Turkish military offensive against US-allied Kurdish forces in Syria.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a republican from South Carolina, joined with democratic Maryland senator Chris Van Hollen to draft the bill.

Trump’s decision to pull US troops out of the region, leaving Kurdish forces who bore the brunt of the US-led campaign against Isis defenseless has been met with bipartisan opposition.

The senators said they would push sanctions unless the Trump administration confirms that “Turkey is not operating unilaterally” in Syria.

Donald Trump pressed former secretary of state Rex Tillerson to persude the Justice Department to drop a case against an Iranian-Turkish gold trader who was a client of Rudy Giuliani, Bloomberg is reporting, citing three unnamed sources familiar with the 2017 meeting.

Tillerson refused, arguing it would constitute interference in an ongoing investigation of the trader, Reza Zarrab, according to the people. They said other participants in the Oval Office were shocked by the request.

Tillerson immediately repeated his objections to then-Chief of Staff John Kelly in a hallway conversation just outside the Oval Office, emphasizing that the request would be illegal. Neither episode has been previously reported, and all of the people spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the conversations.

Zarrab was being prosecuted in federal court in New York at the time on charges of evading U.S. sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program. He had hired former Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Giuliani, who has said he reached out repeatedly to U.S. officials to seek a diplomatic solution for his client outside the courts.

The president’s request to Tillerson -- which included asking him to speak with Giuliani -- bears the hallmarks of Trump’s governing style, defined by his willingness to sweep aside the customary procedures and constraints of government to pursue matters outside normal channels. Tillerson’s objection came to light as Trump’s dealings with foreign leaders face intense scrutiny following the July 25 call with Ukraine’s president that has sparked an impeachment inquiry in the House.

The Guardian has not independently verified Bloomberg’s report.

Bernie Sanders said he “misspoke” when he said he’d be slowing down his campaign

Sanders spoke to reporters outside his home in Burlington, Vt.
Sanders spoke to reporters outside his home in Burlington, Vt. Photograph: Wilson Ring/AP

In an interview with NBC, Sanders said he wouldn’t be slowing down his campaign after suffering a heart attack, saying he misspoke when he told reporters that he will “change the nature of the campaign a bit” after being hospitalized.

“We’re going to get back into the groove of a very vigorous campaign, I love doing rallies and I love doing town meetings,” Sanders said. “I want to start off slower and build up and build up and build up.”

Last week, Sanders was at a campaign event in Nevada when he experienced chest discomfort and was taken to a hospital.

“I found that to be wholly appropriate,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of the July call between Donald Trump and Ukraine’s president.

“I was on the call. I listened to it. It was consistent with what President Trump has been trying to do to take corruption out” Pompeo told PBS’ Judy Woodruff.

As we noted earlier, when Trump defended his decision abandon Kurdish allies in Syria by saying that they didn’t help the US during World War II.

“They didn’t help us with Normandy as an example,” Trump told reporters.

Kurdish forces, did, however, fight alongside the US against Isis for nearly five years, losing roughly 11,000 fighters.

On Sunday, the president announced that US troops would withdraw from the region, and today, Turkey has launched an offensive into north-eastern Syria against Kurdish forces who control the region.

Trump said he learned that the Kurds didn’t help in Normandy from a “very, very powerful article”, and seemed to be referencing a column by conservative opinion writer Kurt Schlichter.

Misrepresenting how Nato works, Trump told reporters: “If you look at how much money we spend on NATO and how much countries from Europe who are a much bigger beneficiary than we are.”

“Alliances are very easy. But our alliances have taken advantage of us,” Trump said.

“We have spent a tremendous amount of money helping the Kurds,” the president said. “They’re fighting for their land. When you say they’re fighting with the US, yes. But they’re fighting for their land.”

“With all of that being said, we like the Kurds,” Trump added.

Updated

Trump told reporters he’ll cooperate with the House democrats’ impeachment inquiry if “they give us our rights”.

Asked whether he’ll cooperate with the democrats if they hold a vote on the impeachment inquiry, Trump responded: “The Republican Party and president has been treated extremely badly by the Democrats, very unfairly, because they have a tiny margin in the House, they have eviscerated the rules, they don’t give us any fair play, it is the most unfair situation people have seen, no lawyers, you can’t have lawyers, you can’t speak, you can’t do anything.”

But does the president have the right to due process during an impeachment?

In a word: No.

From NPR:

The Constitution states clearly that the House of Representatives “shall have the sole Power of Impeachment,” and that “the Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.”

What “impeachment” means in this context is, effectively, indictment — the House has the power to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to spur a trial that would then take place in the Senate.


That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Maanvi Singh, will be taking over the blog for the next few hours.

Here’s where the day stands so far:

  • The Justice Department announced the arrest of an employee at the Defense Intelligence Agency for allegedly leaking sensitive national security information to two journalists.
  • For the first time, Joe Biden called for the impeachment of Trump over the Ukraine controversy.
  • Trump defended his decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria as Turkey launched a military operation in the region. (The president also flippantly said he was not worried about the potential escape of Islamic State fighters because they would likely flee to Europe.)
  • Despite that defensive stance, a number of Republican lawmakers criticized Trump’s Syria policy as news of the Turkish operation broke.
  • House Democrats are reportedly planning a new wave of subpoenas as the White House made clear it would not cooperate with the impeachment inquiry.

Maanvi will have more on the news of the day, so stay tuned.

Democrats reportedly planning new wave of subpoenas

House Democrats are preparing a new wave of subpoenas as the White House has signaled it will not cooperate with the impeachment inquiry, according to CNN.

They are also considering a secret interview of the whistleblower who kicked off the Ukraine controversy.

CNN reports:

In the face of the blistering White House letter refusing to cooperate with their probe, Democrats expect they are likely done with any voluntary interviews for most witnesses, according to multiple Democratic sources. And Democrats are now threatening subpoenas to associates of Rudy Giuliani and considering them for current State Department officials, including former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. She is scheduled for an interview Friday, but there are new concerns she won’t appear given that she is still a State Department employee and could face backlash internally if she were to appear voluntarily.

Negotiations are also intensifying over bringing in for an interview the whistleblower whose complaint has upended Trump’s presidency, with new discussions about holding the interview in secret or off site and not disclosing that it happened until after the fact, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

In response to a question about the threat facing America’s Kurdish allies now that Turkey had launched a military operation in northern Syria, Trump blamed them for not assisting in World War II.

Asked about Islamic State fighters potentially escaping amid Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria, Trump told reporters he felt the United States had carried a disproportionate amount of responsibility in capturing the militants.

Trump said: “Well, they’re going to be escaping to Europe. That’s where they want to go; they want to go back to their homes, but Europe didn’t want them from us.”

The president said the relationship between the US and its European allies had not been “reciprocal” when it came to combating the Islamic State.

In response to Trump’s comments, a CNN reporter questioned whether the flippant remark about Islamic State militants returning to Europe, where the group has previously carried out terrorist attacks, would provoke any condemnation from Republican lawmakers.

Updated

Trump said he would cooperate with the impeachment inquiry if the full House votes on it and “if the rules are fair,” but he appeared to leave himself a lot of wiggle room on the issue.

Trump predicts Islamic State fighters will escape to Europe

When asked by reporters whether he was concerned that Islamic State fighters would be able to escape because of Turkey’s military operation, Trump predicted that the militants would not travel to the US.

The president said this to apparently reassure the American people (and surely terrify many US allies): “They’re going to be escaping to Europe.”

Trump also dismissed criticism from senator Lindsey Graham, one of his closest congressional allies, over the president’s decision to withdraw US troops from the region.

Trump said: “I think Lindsey would like to stay there for the next 200 years.”

Trump stands by his decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria

Speaking to reporters after signing two executive orders, Trump stood by his decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria even as Turkey launched a military operation in the region.

Asked how he would react if Turkish forces decimated America’s Kurdish allies in the region, Trump warned he would “wipe out” Turkey’s economy if they did so.

The British prime minister’s office released a readout from Boris Johnson’s conversation with Trump.

It reads, in part: “The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump this evening. The leaders expressed their serious concern at Turkey’s invasion of north east Syria and the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe in the region. ...

“On trade, the Prime Minister underlined his disappointment at the US announcement of tariffs against UK and EU exports in the Airbus-Boeing dispute, which will harm a number of industries including Scotch Whisky. He pressed the President not to impose the tariffs.”

Trump is now making remarks about two executive orders he is signing and noted that he had an “extended conversation” with the British prime minister, Boris Johnson.

Even as senator Lindsey Graham lambastes Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, he is standing by the president on confronting the impeachment inquiry.

Specifically, the Senate judiciary committee chairman is accusing House Democrats of abusing their power by not releasing a transcript from their closed-door interview with Kurt Volker, the former US ambassador to NATO.

Graham warned that he would call Volker to publicly testify if the transcript is not released soon.

Facebook is refusing to take down a Trump campaign ad that centers on false claims of corruption against Joe Biden.

CNN has already refused to air the ad over its factual inaccuracies, but Facebook wrote in a letter to the Biden campaign that the video did not violate the social media platform’s policies.

A Facebook executive wrote: “Our approach is grounded in Facebook’s fundamental belief in free expression, respect for the democratic process, and the belief that, in mature democracies with a free press, political speech is already arguably the most scrutinized speech there is.”

The social media giant’s decision provoked an enraged response from at least one of Biden’s primary opponents, Elizabeth Warren.

The minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last meeting are out and Trump’s trade policy is getting the blame for a slowing economy.

“Trade policy concerns continued to weigh on firms’ investment decision,” the Fed wrote, citing those tensions and a global economic slowdown as its reasons for cutting rates - albeit not by as much as Trump, a persistent critic of the Fed, had wanted.

Trump has yet to tweet about the Fed - he’s clearly too busy with “Sleepy Joe” and impeachment.

A senior adviser to the Turkish president claimed that Trump knew in advance “precisely” the scope of the military operation in northern Syria.

Meanwhile, more Republican lawmakers are condemning the president’s decision to withdraw US troops from the region, abandoning America’s Kurdish allies.

In addition to the trade discussion, Mike Pence was in Iowa to campaign for Republican senator Joni Ernst.

When asked by a reporter yesterday whether it was acceptable for a president to ask a foreign leader to investigate a political rival, as Trump has previously confirmed he did, Ernst dodged the question three times.

Ernst said: “We again, we don’t have the facts in front of us. And what we see pushed out through the media, we don’t know what is accurate at this point.”

But when repeatedly pressed on whether the request itself would be inappropriate, Ernst refused to answer until she simply turned away from the reporter.

The Ukraine controversy does not appear to be causing alarm among Trump’s base, if the attendees of an Iowa event with the vice president are any indication.

Mike Pence is hosting a discussion on trade in the Midwestern state, and several of those attending the event dismissed the Ukraine controversy as an overblown political stunt by House Democrats, per an AP reporter there.

Biden added in a separate tweet that Trump has “indicted himself” through his actions toward Ukraine and reiterated his call for the president’s impeachment.

Biden has responded to Trump’s taunt by calling on him to release his tax returns, which the president has refused to do since the 2016 election.

Trump dismisses Biden's call for his impeachment as 'pathetic'

Trump was unsurprisingly dismissive of Biden’s call for his impeachment, belittling it as “so pathetic” and repeating false corruption claims against the former vice president.

The blog has covered this many, many times, but there is no evidence to support claims that Biden exploited his influence as vice president to aid his son or his business.

The Ukrainian prosecutor who initially investigated corruption claims against a business with ties to Hunter Biden has said he does not believe either of the Bidens broke Ukrainian law.

CNN even refused to air a Trump campaign ad centered on the accusations against Biden, saying it was factually inaccurate.

Biden said that Trump had “violated his oath of office” and represented a unique threat to the constitution.

The former vice-president told the New Hampshire crowd: “To preserve our constitution, our democracy, our basic integrity, he should be impeached.”

Biden had previously avoided specifically saying how he would vote on impeachment, citing his past role overseeing the Senate as vice president.

Updated

Biden says Trump 'should be impeached'

Joe Biden went further than he ever has before on the Ukraine controversy, arguing that Trump “should be impeached.”

Speaking at a campaign event in New Hampshire, the former vice president warned that Trump believes he “can and will get away with anything he does.”

Biden referenced Trump’s past claim that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue in New York and get away with it.

Biden said: “It’s no joke. He’s shooting holes in the Constitution. And we cannot let him get away with it.”

According to the indictment, Frese allegedly transmitted information about “a foreign country’s weapons systems” to a reporter identified as “Journalist 1.”

That reporter then allegedly asked Frese to talk to “Journalist 2,” which the DIA employee agreed to do.

According to a press release from the Justice Department, Frese and “Journalist 1” appeared to be involved in a romantic relationship together and shared a residence at one point.

DOJ announces indictment of alleged DIA leaker

The justice department announced it has arrested an employee of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Henry Kyle Frese, for allegedly leaking sensitive information to two journalists.

Assistant attorney general for national security, John C Demers, said in a statement: “As laid out in today’s indictment, Frese was caught red-handed disclosing sensitive national security information for personal gain.”

Frese has been charged with two counts of willful transmission of national defense information to unauthorized recipients and could face up to 10 years in prison for each charge.

Updated

In his statement on Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria, Trump expressed his expectation that Turkish officials would take responsibility for the Islamic State fighters detained in prisons there.

The prisons are currently maintained by America’s Kurdish allies, who may have to abandon the sites given Turkey’s latest operation.

But even some Republican lawmakers have expressed concern that this development could lead to thousands of Islamic State fighters escaping.

Trump releases statement on Turkey operation

Trump has released a statement through a White House spokesperson on Turkey launching a military operation in northern Syria.

The statement reads: “This morning, Turkey, a NATO member, invaded Syria. The United States does not endorse this attack and has made it clear to Turkey that this operation is a bad idea.

“There are no American soldiers in the area. From the first day I entered the political arena, I made it clear that I did not want to fight these endless, senseless wars—especially those that don’t benefit the United States.

“Turkey has committed to protecting civilians, protecting religious minorities, including Christians, and ensuring no humanitarian crisis takes place—and we will hold them to this commitment.

“In addition, Turkey is now responsible for ensuring all ISIS fighters being held captive remain in prison and that ISIS does not reconstitute in any way, shape, or form. We expect Turkey to abide by all of its commitments, and we continue to monitor the situation closely.”

Here’s where the day stands so far:

  • Turkey has launched a military operation in northern Syria following Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from the region.
  • In reaction to the White House letter saying officials would not cooperate with House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry because it was allegedly unconstitutional, Nancy Pelosi warned that Trump was just giving lawmakers more evidence of obstruction.
  • Another poll found that half of American voters support removing Trump from office.

There’s still more coming up, so stay tuned.

Warren says she will not pursue big-dollar donors if she wins nomination

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren said she would not pursue big-dollar donors if she won the party’s nomination.

The Massachusetts senator has avoided such fundraisers in the primary race, but Warren had not said she would do so in a potential general election.

The commitment could pose some issues for Warren if she becomes the eventual nominee, particularly given the massive fundraising operation Trump has built up in recent months.

A former finance director for Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign slammed the decision as “colossally stupid.”

Democrats argue White House stonewalling will not stall impeachment inquiry

Some House Democrats are making the argument that the White House’s efforts to stonewall the impeachment inquiry will prove unsuccessful because of the evidence already in lawmakers’ possession.

Specifically, the Democrats argue that the whistleblower complaint, the White House memo on the Ukraine call and text messages shared by senior officials like Rudy Giuliani present a compelling case for Trump’s removal from office.

Democratic representative Gerry Connelly told CNN: “You know what you need to know from the documents that we already have. It is why I think the stonewalling is counterproductive and ultimately futile.

“There are going to be more people coming forward irrespective of WH stonewalling. All it does is persuade the public ... [the President] is resisting for a reason.”

But senator Lindsey Graham told Fox & Friends earlier today that Senate Republicans would not vote for Trump’s removal based solely on the information already available on the Ukraine call.

Updated

In impeachment-related news, US diplomats who expressed unease about withholding military aid from Ukraine were advised to downplay the eventual release of the funds, according to the New York Times.

The Times reports:

‘Keep moving, people, nothing to see here …’ Brad Freden, the State Department’s acting deputy assistant secretary overseeing issues in Europe and Eurasia, wrote in a Sept. 12 email obtained by The New York Times.

He said the National Security Council would not publicly announce that $141 million in State Department assistance was being restored after being held up in what the White House described as a normal review. ...

A series of previously unreported internal State Department emails reflect diplomats’ frustration with the unexpected freeze on funding that Congress had already approved.

‘We realize the strain this puts on posts and your ability to conclude grants and carry out programs,’ Jim Kulikowski, the State Department’s regional assistance coordinator, wrote in an Aug. 5 email.

Top House Republican condemns Turkey's operation in Syria

Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader in the House, has condemned Turkey for launching a military operation in northern Syria after Trump decided to withdraw US troops from the region.

Given that McCarthy has been a key ally to Trump as the president attempts to combat House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, the California Republican may have a unique opportunity to push the commander-in-chief to change his position on Syria.

But Trump has so far shown no sign of reconsidering his decision to withdraw the US troops.

Senator Lindsey Graham is now more broadly attacking Trump’s “America first” foreign policy, arguing that isolationism represents a dangerous threat to the nation.

Graham said in a previous tweet, reacting to the news of Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria, that America’s Kurdish allies had been “shamelessly abandoned by the Trump administration.”

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said he thinks Nancy Pelosi should hold a formal vote on opening an impeachment inquiry.

Pelosi has said she does not plan to hold a vote and argued that the Constitution does not require such a formality to launch an impeachment inquiry, a reading that is backed up by legal experts.

The House speaker is also likely trying to protect vulnerable Democrats, even though many of her caucus members from more conservative districts have come out in support of the inquiry.

But depending on what the investigation uncovers, such a vote could eventually come to reflect badly upon the Republicans who would likely oppose it.

Despite his opposition to Trump’s Syria policy, senator Lindsey Graham has been one of the president’s most ardent defenders when it comes to impeachment.

Just this morning, the South Carolina Republican told “Fox & Friends” that House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry threatens to “destroy the nation.”

Graham said of the Ukraine call: “I’ve read the transcript. ... I do not see anything wrong there, and I want Nancy Pelosi to know that Republican senators are not going to impeach this president based on this transcript.”

But the White House’s refusal to cooperate with the inquiry may be another matter. Back when Bill Clinton was facing potential removal from office, Graham argued that Richard Nixon’s greatest impeachable offense was failing to comply with a congressional subpoena.

Updated

Graham urges Trump to change course in Syria

Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s closest congressional allies, urged the president to change course in Syria after news broke that Turkey has launched a military operation in the country’s northern region.

Graham warned in an interview last night that Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria could be a career-ending move.

The South Carolina Republican told Axios: “I think he’s putting the nation at risk, and I think he’s putting his presidency at risk. And I hope he will adjust his policies like he did before. That would actually be a sign of real leadership.”

Graham added: “This is worse than when Obama left Iraq, because you’ve got so much information as to what happens. This would be a game changer to our national security. This would pave the way to the re-emergence of ISIS. ...

“If I hear the president say one more time, ‘I made a campaign promise to get out of Syria,’ I’m going to throw up.”

Meanwhile, the president’s former fixer, Michael Cohen, is reportedly being brought back to New York to reveal more information to state prosecutors who are investigating whether the Trump Organization falsified business records.

CNN reports:

The information, if deemed credible, could result in Cohen testifying before a grand jury, the official said.

This meeting would be the third time Cohen has met with prosecutors and should happen this month, according to the official. It is expected to be held at the district attorney’s office in Lower Manhattan with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s general counsel and the head of the economic crimes bureau, the official said. It is unknown if Vance himself will be there. ...

CNN first reported last month that officials from the district attorney’s office, led by Vance, interviewed Cohen at the federal prison in Otisville, New York, where he is serving a three-year sentence after pleading guilty to multiple crimes including campaign finance violations tied to payments to two women alleging affairs with Trump a decade ago.

Despite news of Turkey’s military operation in Syria, Trump is keeping his attention squarely on the impeachment inquiry, even dubiously accusing special counsel Robert Mueller of perjury.

Another Senate Republican, Marco Rubio of Florida, slammed the abandonment of America’s Kurdish allies as “morally repugnant” yesterday.

Rubio also warned that Trump’s foreign policy shift could lead to thousands of Islamic State militants being released from prison.

The Washington Post has more on that:

The U.S. military has no plans to intervene if Syrian Kurdish forces abandon a constellation of Islamic State prisons in Syria to confront a possible Turkish invasion, officials said Tuesday.

Kurdish officials said that guards were still in place at the more than 20 prisons and camps under their control but were prepared to move, raising the possibility that about 11,000 militants and their families could escape.

Trump defended his foreign policy in the Middle East in a pair of bombastic tweets this morning.

But even some of Trump’s closest congressional allies, including senator Lindsey Graham, have sounded alarm bells about clearing the way for a Turkish military operation in Syria.

Turkey launches military operation in northern Syria

Turkish officials said the country was launching a military operation in northern Syria following Donald Trump’s announcement that he would withdraw US troops from the region.

Bethan McKernan reports:

Several large explosions rocked the north-east Syrian town of Ras al-Ain, on the border across from the Turkish town of Ceylanpınar, a CNN Turk reporter said, adding that the sound of planes could be heard above.

He said smoke could be seen rising from buildings in Ras al-Ain.

Kurdish military leaders inside Syria have been braced for an attack since Donald Trump announced earlier this week that US troops were withdrawing from the area.

[Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] said the offensive, dubbed ‘Operation Peace Spring’, would aim to eliminate threats from the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia and Islamic State militants, and enable the return of Syrian refugees in Turkey after the formation of a ‘safe zone’ in the area, he said.

Sanders puts the brakes on his campaign after heart attack

On the 2020 campaign trail, Bernie Sanders said he would scale back his events following his heart attack last week.

Bernie Sanders speaks with reporters outside his home in Burlington, Vermont.
Bernie Sanders speaks with reporters outside his home in Burlington, Vermont. Photograph: Wilson Ring/AP

“I think we’re going to change the nature of the campaign a bit,” Sanders said after visiting a cardiologist in his home state of Vermont. “Make sure that I have the strength to do what I have to do.”

The senator’s comments might come as a surprise to some of his staffers, given that the campaign has insisted the candidate would continue with his bid as planned despite his health issues.

His decision to slow down a bit will also likely intensify questions about whether he (and other older candidates like Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren) are the best options for the Oval Office.

Half of voters support removing Trump from office, poll finds

Another poll has come out this morning showing that about half of voters support removing Trump from office.

According to the Politico/Morning Consult poll, 50% of voters would support Trump’s removal, compared to 43% who would not.

Those results come on the heels of yesterday’s Washington Post/Schar School poll, which found that 49% of registered voters would support the president’s removal.

And Quinnipiac found that 45% of registered voters believe Trump should be removed from office.

This marks an uptick in support in recent weeks as House Democrats have launched their formal impeachment inquiry, and Democratic leaders are counting on the number to continue rising as they present their case for impeachment.

Updated

Pelosi: 'Mr President, you are not above the law'

Good morning, live blog readers!

The White House has come up with its strategy to combat House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry: denial. Of course, administration officials are not denying key elements of Donald Trump’s call with the Ukrainian president, which were confirmed in the White House’s own memo on the conversation. Instead, they’re denying that Congress has the right to investigate the president.

White House counsel Pat Cipollone wrote in a letter to House speaker Nancy Pelosi: “You have designed and implemented your inquiry in a manner that violates fundamental fairness and constitutionally mandated due process.”

Legal experts said the White House letter did not rely on any sound reading of the constitution, and Pelosi warned in her own blistering statement that further efforts to block the inquiry would be taken as more evidence of obstruction.

The House speaker said: “The White House letter is only the latest attempt to cover up his betrayal of our democracy, and to insist that the President is above the law ... Mr President, you are not above the law. You will be held accountable.”

All of this puts the White House and the House of Representatives on a collision course over how to read the Constitution that could set a precedent for decades to comes.

Senator Joni Ernst listens during a hearing with the Senate armed services committee.
Senator Joni Ernst listens during a hearing with the Senate armed services committee. Photograph: REX/Shutterstock

Here’s what else the blog is keeping its eye on:

  • Trump will sign an executive order on transparency in federal guidance and enforcement at 3.15pm ET.
  • Mike Pence is in Iowa for a campaign event with Republican senator Joni Ernst and a discussion on trade.
  • Joe Biden is campaigning in New Hampshire today.

That’s all still coming up, so stay tuned.

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
‘Sober curious’ Gen Z adults drinking more than millennials were at same age, study finds
More than two-thirds of Gen Z adults reported binge drinking in the last year
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Binge drinking rises sharply among gen Z in their early 20s
Research challenges idea of ‘generation sensible’ as alcohol and drug use increase after teenage years
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
NBD, Just 50 Cent Making It Rain Money On A Fan For Dissing Diddy
I didn't have this on my 2026 bingo card.
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
‘The looks I’d get with my order’: Woman goes to Taco Bell, orders two Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, and then gets body shamed by an old lady
One of the few places you would hope you would not be discriminated against based on your weight is an eatery; however, for TikTok user @juliasaysstuff, that wasn’t the case. On 14 February 2024, Jules uploaded a video to her account recounting her experience of being body shamed at a…
The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue
20 Celebrities Who Are The Same Age But Look Like They’re From Different Generations
They were born in the same year, yet these famous faces could easily pass for belonging to different generations.
Bored Panda
Bored Panda
Andy Dick reveals he has ‘five to seven holes’ in his brain and heart stopped beating during apparent overdose
Comedian checked out of rehab in January after previously resisting treatment
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play