Impeachment inquiry: Donald Trump lashes ‘greatest con job in US history’

Donald Trump has declared impeachme­nt the greatest con job in US history as the Republicans step up their attack ahead of the impeachment vote.

Donald Trump is battling impeachment. Picture: AP.

Donald Trump has declared impeachme­nt the greatest con job in US history, as Republicans stepped up their attack on Democrats ahead of the impeachment vote on Thursday (AEST).

As passions rose ahead of the historic house vote, the US President touted his achievements, attacke­d the Democrats and re­tweeted numerous posts slamming the impeachment process.

“The impeachment hoax is the greatest con job in the history of American politics. The Fake News Media and their partner, the Democrat Party, are working overtime to make life for the United Republican Party and all it stands for as difficult as possible,” Mr Trump tweeted.

He tweeted about the latest record­ close on Wall Street: “We will never get tired of winning.”

Mr Trump this week touted a series of major achievements, includin­g striking a deal for the revamped North American free-trade pact with Canada and Mexic­o and a preliminary trade deal with China. His comments came as Democrat Senate minor­ity leader Chuck Schumer accuse­d Republicans of preparing to hold an unfair trial in the Senate­ next month by preventing key witnesses from testifying.

New Stock Market high! I will never get bored of telling you that – and we will never get tired of winning!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 16, 2019

Senator Schumer has urged Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell to call four new witnesses for a Senate trial, including acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and sacked national security adviser John Bolton. But he said Senator McConnell appeared to be avoiding new witnesses.

“I haven’t seen a single good argument about why these witness­es should not testify unless the President has something to hide and his supporters want it hidden,” Senator Schumer said. “Trials have witnesses — that’s what trial are all about.”

Republicans countered that during Bill Clinton’s impeachment process in 1998 Senator Schumer had opposed new witnesses. A spokesman for Senator McConnell tweeted a story from 1999 in which Senator Schumer described calling additional witnesses in a Senate trial as “political theatre”. The White House also attacked Senator Schumer after the Democrat-controlled judicia­ry committee released a 658-page report on the articles of impeachment just after midnight, local time.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham tweeted. “Thankfully the people of this country continue to see the partisan sham that this is.” The report is the judiciary committee’s case for impeaching the President. It claims Mr Trump “betrayed the nation by abusing his high office”.

“President Trump has placed his personal political interests above our national security, our free and fair elections, and our system of checks and balances,” the report said. “He has engaged in a pattern of misconduct that will continue if left unchecked. Accordingly, President Trump should be impeached and remove­d from office.”

The report also contains a 20-page dissent from the ranking Republi­can on the committee, Doug Collins. “The case is not only weak but dangerously lower­s the bar for future impeach­ments,” Mr Collins said. “The record put forth by the maj­ority is based on inferences built upon presumptions and hearsay … the majority has failed to make a credible, factually based allegation against this President that merits impeachment.”

A new poll provided further confirmation the impeachment inquiry has done little to shift voter loyalty one way or the other. A new NPR/PBS/NewsHour/Marist poll found 47 per cent suppor­ted impeachment and 48 per cent opposed it, virtually unchanged from last month.

The Democrat-controlled house is expected to impeach Mr Trump along party lines on Thursday even though no Republicans are expected to vote for it. A handful of Democrats — mostly those who won in pro-Trump district­s and fear losing their seats next year — are expected to vote against it. A Senate trial is expected to start in the week of January 6. It is almost certain that the Republic­an-controlled Senate will acquit the President.

Cameron Stewart is also
US contributor for Sky News Australia