'He does not need another lawyer': Trey Gowdy won't join Trump's impeachment team

Former Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy will not be part of the legal team representing President Trump during his impeachment trial. “The president has good lawyers and more importantly good facts,” Gowdy said in an email to McClatchy. “He does not need another lawyer added to his team. He needs the trial to begin and end.” The former lawmaker was spotted with Trump at the president’s Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, last weekend, suggesting he could act as an informal adviser to the administration.

Gowdy, 55, retired from Congress a year ago after four terms representing the 4th Congressional District of South Carolina. He then rejoined his old white-collar law firm, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough. There was confusion late last year about whether Gowdy would be joining Trump’s legal team.

In October, Trump’s lawyer Jay Sekulow announced Gowdy had joined the team to assist with the response to the House Democrats' impeachment investigation. But a day later, Trump said Gowdy would not be starting for a couple of months. Federal law prevented Gowdy from taking Trump as a client until Jan. 3, 2020. Gowdy would have also had to give up his contributor role with Fox News if he represented Trump. The network briefly ended its relationship with Gowdy for about two months while he was in talks to join Trump’s team. He rejoined the network in December.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/he-does-not-need-another-lawyer-trey-gowdy-wont-join-trumps-impeachment-team

GOP senator will introduce measure to dismiss impeachment article

A Republican senator announced he’ll introduce a measure to dismiss “this bogus impeachment” of President Trump. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri criticized House Democrats for voting to impeach Trump last month but then failing to send the two impeachment articles to the Senate. “Now they don’t want to have a trial, because they have no evidence,” Hawley tweeted. “In real world, if prosecution doesn’t proceed with case, it gets dismissed. So on Monday, I will introduce measure to dismiss this bogus impeachment for lack of prosecution.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said she is withholding the articles from the Senate until Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, agrees to hear testimony from a list of Trump administration officials named by Democrats. McConnell wants the Senate to follow the rules agreed to during the 1999 impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton. Senators back then agreed unanimously to hear from the prosecutors and the defense and to consider witness testimony later on.

Democrats have rejected that proposal and have argued the Senate must hear testimony from Michael Duffey, the associate director of national security programs at the Office of Management and Budget, among others. Duffy, according to unredacted emails viewed by liberal organization Just Security, told the Pentagon on Aug. 30 the delay in security aid to Ukraine was a “clear direction” from Trump.

But Hawley and other Republicans believe House Democrats are looking for a way to extend the investigation into the president beyond the House impeachment proceedings, which ended with Democrats passing impeachment articles accusing Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Hawley said his measure to dismiss the charges “will expose Dems’ circus for what it is: a fake impeachment, abuse of the Constitution, based on no evidence.” Hawley tweeted: “If Dems won’t proceed with trial, bogus articles should be dismissed and @realDonaldTrump fully cleared.” The Senate reconvenes on Friday.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/gop-senator-will-introduce-measure-to-dismiss-impeachment-articles

'Time to put your best team on': Meadows wants Gaetz for Trump impeachment defense

Rep. Mark Meadows, a Republican from North Carolina, said he wants Rep. Matt Gaetz to be a part of the impeachment defense team for President Trump ahead of an impending Senate impeachment trial. "If I had to pick a team, I would say you get in Jim Jordan. You get in a Matt Gaetz. You put your 'A-team' — a John Ratcliffe," the North Carolina Republican said Thursday on War Room: Impeachment. Of the three names he mentioned, Meadows singled out Gaetz as someone who would be particularly apt at defending Trump. "He had one of the greatest performances in the Judiciary, and I say 'performances' because he brought the truth," he said. "This is not a time to play politics. This is a time to put your best team on there, and I think Matt Gaetz would be one of them."

The 37-year-old Florida congressman has been a staunch supporter of Trump, crashing closed-door impeachment hearings held by Democrats and giving impassioned speeches and questioning in defense of the president during public impeachment hearings. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not yet sent the articles of impeachment that have been approved to the Senate. Democrats are threatening to withhold the articles if Republicans refuse to call witnesses in a Senate trial.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/time-to-put-your-best-team-on-meadows-wants-gaetz-for-trump-impeachment-defense

Four rockets hit Iraqi military base near Baghdad airport

Four rockets hit an Iraqi military base near Baghdad airport on Thursday evening, according to reports. Tensions have escalated in the area over the past week after Iran-backed protesters surrounded the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, shouting, "Death to America," and setting fires to the building on New Year's Eve.

"Urgent Iraqi security sources: The explosions were caused by the fall of 3 missiles In the back ocean of Baghdad Airport," tweeted Al Jazeera, according to a Google translation. In a statement released this morning, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said, "We must stand together against the malign and destabilizing actions of Iran.''

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/four-bombs-dropped-near-baghdad-airport

Idrees Ali

https://twitter.com/idreesali114/status/1212863851563237377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1212863851563237377&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Ffour-bombs-dropped-near-baghdad-airport

>>7695344

DS working overtime to start WW3, they won't be successful, imho.