Out, fired. This is according to the New York Times this hour which is reporting the president is targeting his Intelligence Community Inspector General, Michael Atkinson. Atkinson is the one who deemed that whistleblower complaint urgent and credible. Both urgent and credible, and because of that, according to the times, trump is accusing atkinson of being disloyal and of trying to sabotage his presidency. Keep in mind atkinson is known as a serious professional and a career nonpartisan. Susan collins telling the hill newspaper, quote, i have a lot of regard for the Inspector General and believe what he did what he thought was right and here ate National Intelligence defending atkinson when the whistleblower complaint came out. I have no reason to doubt that Michael Atkinson did anything, but his job. Well, the president has a lot of doubts and is threatening now over how this investigation is unfolding and his administrations response and all of it has him on pins and needles and ton
Campaigning on it in the races that theyve been winning round the country. It matters. But it doesnt matter to everybody the way it does to us. I just wonder what message they take from it. Well, i think people are focusing on theyre starting to look at this now. I think people are tuning in. And i do think that over the holidays will be a big difference because then people are at home, theyre not focusing on work. Right . And the house is out for two weeks. And the house is out for two weeks. Theyre going to be home in their constituencies and theyll hear from real people. You had yr work cut out for you with that interview just a couple minutes ago. I dont here it comes. Come on. Dont be shy. Inform no, not you. I just dont understand just the just the excuse making in the mind. Of course you do. For every single thing. No, i dont. I dont understand it. Come on. Advantage. They are all sticking together in a way weve never seen before. They have oversight duties they look really dumb
House for where republicans and democrats making their closing arguments this hour in this fight over impeaching President Trump. Donald john trump, the president of the United States is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors. An extraordinary and historic day on the house for. A speaker of the house, i solemnly and sadly opened the debate on the impeachment of the president of the president of the United States. The ranking republican on house judiciary said democrats are not sad at all hellbent on impeaching President Trump. This is an impeachment based on presumption, and impeachment on what actually sells to the American People. Today will be a lot of things, what it is not is fair. House judiciary chairman said an argument is rush for political reasons. We cannot rely in the next remedy for the conduct when the president threatens the very integrity of that election. With democrats expected to have the necessary votes to pass articles of impeachment for abuse of power and obst
An act of terror. Welcome to those in the United States and around the world. Im wolf blitzer. Youre in the situation room. This is cnn breaking news. Were following breaking news. The white house is formally refusing to take part in the impeachment inquiry refusing to defend the president at a hearing next week. The Judiciary Committee was just notified of that decision in a letter from the Top White House lawyer dismissing the entire investigation as a charade. The committee is working overtime this weekend to prepare for monday mornings hearing when impeachment investigators lay out evidence against mr. Trump. Tonight, were told some moderate democrats are growing anxious about the process and impatient with their leaders fearing the final articles of impeachment might, in their view, go too far. Tonight, i will talk to Madeleine Dean and our correspondents are standing by. First, to our chief correspondent, jim acosta. This new letter to democrats is a reflection of the president s
That he overheard the president tell one of his top diplomats, Gordon Sondland, that he wanted to know if ukraines president had agreed to quote, do the investigation. Which, in this context, was a clear reference to an investigation into the bidens. Holmes testified that sondland told him point blank that President Trump did not give an explaytive about ukraine and that he only cared about quote big stuff like investigating the bidens. In addition to the damage that testimony may do to the president s case, sondland is now facing questions about whether he may have lied to congress. Holmes testimony directly contradicts sondlands october deposition where sondland testified he could not recall being part of any effort to investigate the bidens. And he could not recall any conversations with the state department or the white house about that matter. Holmes testimony contradicts both those claims raising the stakes that much higher for sondlands public hearings on wednesday. Holmes publi