House Judiciary Committee opens next impeachment phase with rancor, legal debate

WASHINGTON – Three constitutional lawyers characterized President Donald Trump’s actions toward Ukraine as a serious abuse of power that constitutes high crimes and misdemeanors during impeachment hearings Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee. “When President Trump invited – indeed, demanded…

Former adviser tells impeachment inquiry Trump envoy was on ‘domestic political errand’

WASHINGTON – Former National Security Council Russia expert Fiona Hill and diplomat David Holmes testified in what may be the final public impeachment hearing Thursday, reinforcing previous witnesses’ assertions that President Donald Trump directly linked a White House meeting and…

Sondland confirms quid pro quo in “seminal” fourth impeachment hearing

WASHINGTON – Gordon Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union, told House investigators Wednesday that President Donald Trump and other top administration officials sought a quid pro quo with Ukraine, tying military aid to an announcement of an…

Officials detail ‘unusual’ call between Trump and Ukraine leader

WASHINGTON – Two White House officials and a former official with key roles in shaping the Trump administration’s policy towards Ukraine testified Tuesday to Congress that they considered improper a July call by President Donald Trump to Ukraine’s president linking…

Amidst “intimidating” tweets from Trump, envoy tells impeachment probe of ‘smear campaign’

WASHINGTON – As Marie Yovanovitch, ousted U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, testified before the House Intelligence Committee Friday as part of the impeachment inquiry, she was attacked on Twitter by President Donald Trump.  The historic moment was labeled by the panel’s…

Van Hollen, Beyer propose surtax on millionaires

WASHINGTON – The richest 1% of Americans control more wealth than the entire middle class combined, according to the Brookings Institution – a striking sign of income inequality that has accelerated since the Great Recession. A bill introduced last week…

Key witnesses impugn Trump in first impeachment public hearing

Wednesday marked the first public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, and the five-and-a-half-hour testimony revealed new findings. It also saw a partisan divide in how lawmakers viewed Trump’s conduct. CNS-TV’s Max Marcilla recaps the start of the public impeachment process.

In first public impeachment hearing, revelations of new Trump Ukraine call

WASHINGTON – During the first public hearing of the House impeachment inquiry, Acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor revealed Wednesday that his aide overheard Donald Trump asking about “the investigations” in a July 26 phone call with U.S. Ambassador…

Briana Urbina’s pitch to Maryland’s 5th Congressional District: go younger

BOWIE, Maryland – Briana Urbina and her campaign staff marched through rows of two-story homes with red brick and vinyl siding exteriors as the sun inched closer to the horizon on an evening earlier this month. Red and brown leaves…

45 years ago, another presidential impeachment involved another Sarbanes

WASHINGTON – On July 26, 1974, Maryland Rep. Paul Sarbanes introduced the first article of impeachment against President Richard Nixon during the House Judiciary Committee’s deliberations over the Watergate scandal.  The article was unanimously supported by all 21 Democrats on…