LAYING IT OUT
Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani ordered to hand over texts, phone records and other documents to impeachment probe
DONALD Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani has been ordered to hand over text messages, phone records and other documents to the impeachment investigation.
The Democrat-led House Intelligence Committee subpoenaed Giuliani, 75, yesterday, giving him a deadline of October 15 to hand over all requested evidence.
3
Giuliani, a former Mayor of New York, is believed to be at the heart of Trump’s efforts to get Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden’s family.
In a joint letter, committee chairmen said Giuliani acknowledged that he asked the government of Ukraine to "target" Joe Biden, on national television.
They said: "The committees are investigating the extent to which President Trump jeopardised national security by pressing Ukraine to interfere with our 2020 election.
“Our inquiry includes an investigation of credible allegations that you acted as an agent of the President in a scheme to advance his personal political interests by abusing the power of the Office of the President.”
'AGENT OF THE PRESIDENT'
In response, Giuliani said the chairmen have "prejudged the case", tweeting: "I have received a subpoena signed only by Democrat Chairs who have prejudged this case.
"It raises significant issues concerning legitimacy and constitutional and legal issues including, inter alia, attorney client and other privileges. It will be given appropriate consideration.
If Giuliani fails to comply with the subpoena, he could be charged for obstruction of justice.
His subpoena came hours before it was revealed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listened in on the July 25 conversation.
Pompeo's presence on the Ukraine call, confirmed by two officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, provided the first confirmation that a Cabinet official heard Trump press President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Hunter Biden's membership on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.
It is that call, and the circumstances surrounding it, that are fuelling the new Democratic drive for impeachment.
What is impeachment and how does it work?
IMPEACHMENT is a formal charge of serious wrongdoing against a holder of public office in the United States.
It is one of the few ways a sitting president can be kicked out of the White House before an election.
The US Constitution states a president "shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanours".
The "sole power of impeachment" is held by the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress.
A simple majority is required - i.e. more than half of Representatives must vote to impeach the president.
Then the case would be tried by the Senate, the upper chamber of Congress, where a two-thirds majority is needed.
While the Senate is still controlled by the Republicans, with 53 of the 100 seats, the Democrats have control of the House of Representatives, with 235 of the 435 seats.
This means that it's possible for the House of Representatives to pass a vote to impeach the president.
However, a two-thirds majority of 67 Senators voting to impeach Trump would still be needed in the Senate when it is tried.
Calls for Trump's impeached came after it was revealed he pressured the Ukrainian president to investigate his 2020 rival's son for "corruption".
Bombshell reports accused the US President of repeatedly urging his Kiev counterpart to investigate Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice-President Joe Biden who was a director of a Ukrainian gas firm.
Trump made the request shortly after discussing the US possibly giving nearly $400 million in military aid to help the country battle Russian-backed separatists.
The US President initially dismissed the probe, which threatens to oust him, as a “joke” in a press conference at a UN General Assembly meeting.
He said he decided to release a summary of the call with Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky because of "horrible things" being reported.
But on Sunday night, as calls showed no signs of slowing down, Trump warned his impeachment could cause a civil war.
The US president quoted an evangelical pastor's comments in a TV interview in which it was said the country could be irreversibly fractured.
The US Civil War - fought from 1861 to 1865 - was the bloodiest in American history, with up to 620,000 killed on the battlefield.
most read world news
The 2020 election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
It will be the 59th US presidential election.
William Hill puts Trump’s odds of winning the next election at 7/4.
His rivals include Beto O'Rourke, Elizabeth Warren, Tulis Gabbard, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
3
3
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.