House Moves Forward on Impeachment, while Senate GOP Blocks Election Security (Again)

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FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | October 31, 2019freadshot

“The coming attacks on the 2020 elections by Russia do not seem to bother ‘Moscow Mitch’ one bit.”

The House voted today to adopt rules to govern the next stage of its Trump impeachment inquiry.

In doing so, the House moved one step closer to the impeachment of a President for only the third time in our history. Articles of impeachment are likely to reach the House floor for votes in late December or early January.

Meanwhile, under the continued leadership of “Moscow Mitch” McConnell, Senate Republicans have struck again to prevent the Senate from considering democracy reforms and election security measures.

An effort by Senators Tom Udall (D-NM) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) to bring H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which passed the House in March, to the Senate floor for consideration was blocked yesterday by Senate Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO).

Senator McConnell has made clear he will prevent Senate consideration for this entire Congress of any measures to repair our political system or to strengthen election security laws, including H.R. 1.

According to published reports, Russia and Iran have already taken steps to interfere in the 2020 presidential election – as Russia did in 2016 when, according to the Mueller report, they interfered in the presidential election to help Trump win the presidency. These activities by Russia were reaffirmed in a bipartisan report issued this month by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The coming attacks on the 2020 elections by Russia do not seem to bother “Moscow Mitch” one bit.

To put it in stark terms, Senator McConnell, by using his scheduling powers to block Senate consideration of reform bills, is serving as a principal enabler of Russia being able to intervene in the 2020 elections.

McConnell and President Trump, who has taken no known steps to stop Russia from helping his 2020 reelection bid, will bear the principal responsibility for any interference undertaken by Russia or any other country to interfere in the 2020 presidential and congressional elections.

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Fred Wertheimer is the Founder and President of Democracy 21, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen our democracy and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and elections. See previous Notes from Fred here.