Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 23 May 2019
TRUMP and another person famil- Bank, which has lent his
Continued from Front iar with what happened in real estate company mil-
The scene playing out live the room. lions of dollars. On Monday
on television was reminis- Democrats said they a federal judge also ruled
cent of earlier ones at the doubted he actually was against Trump in a sepa-
White House, including ever going to put forward rate financial records dis-
during the federal gov- a plan. Schumer — who pute with Congress, though
ernment shutdown, when brought his own 35-page his team filed a notice of
Trump walked out on Dem- proposal to the meeting appeal that is expected to
ocrats. While this standoff — said that when Trump keep the court battles run-
could benefit him political- "was forced to say how he ning for months.
ly in the short term, with his would pay for it he had to Pelosi said the court victo-
tough talk stirring up sup- run away." ries were "no surprise."
porters, it leaves his trade Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., center, Senate What started as a challeng- The Democrats leaving that
deals, a new budget and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., right, and other con- ing day for Pelosi as she Capitol meeting appeared
other goals in jeopardy as gressional leaders, react to a failed meeting with President Don- tries to tamp down growing to be taking hers words
he heads into a re-election ald Trump at the White House on infrastructure, at the Capitol calls for an impeachment into consideration, even
campaign. Democrats in Washington, Wednesday, May 22, 2019. From left are House inquiry swiftly turned, with as many say the march to
called it another Trump Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the attention going back impeach becomes more
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter
temper tantrum. DeFazio, D-Ore., Pelosi, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, on the president. Even inevitable. Tennessee Rep.
"I want to do infrastructure," D-S.C., and Schumer. some Republicans noted Steve Cohen, who called
Trump said he told Pelosi Associated Press the shift. for the impeachment in-
and Senate Democratic "In the end we've got work quiry on Tuesday, said he
leader Chuck Schumer, her comment earlier in the frastructure initiative." to do," said Sen. John could see both sides.
noting the scheduled topic morning on Capitol Hill that The meeting had been set Cornyn, who called the Of leaders' reluctance, Co-
of the meeting. she believed the president weeks ago, after Trump meeting dramatic. "And hen said "it's a political con-
"But you know what? We was engaged in a "cover- and the Democratic lead- I think the best thing we cern rather than an actual
can't do it under these cir- up" of the Russia probe. ers agreed to talk further could do for the people we constitutional one."
cumstances," he said he "I don't do cover-ups," about a possible $2 trillion work for is to try to make Rep. Katie Hill, a freshman
told them. "So get these Trump fumed. infrastructure proposal. progress where we can." from a California swing dis-
phony investigations over." Back on Capitol Hill, Pelosi Democrats have been Earlier Wednesday, House trict, said she is undecided
Without ever shaking any- said Trump "just took a pass" working with the president's Democrats had convened on starting an impeach-
one's hand, or even taking on working on national in- daughter Ivanka, and for a closed-door meeting ment inquiry but wants to
a seat, Trump turned and frastructure problems. Trump was due to provide amid Trump's stonewall- let the court action play
left the three-minute meet- Flanked by Schumer and his ideas on how to pay for ing of their investigators, as out.
ing. He strode to the Rose other House and Senate it. a growing number of the The more Trump "defies us,
Garden where reporters leaders, Pelosi said the But he told them he couldn't party's lawmakers say they the more that it's becom-
and TV cameras had been Democrats had gone to engage on infrastructure want to open an impeach- ing an inevitability," she
assembled and proceed- the White House "to give because Pelosi said "some- ment inquiry. They say it's said. But she doesn't think
ed to assail the Demo- this president the opportu- thing terrible," according to not necessarily aimed at the Democratic caucus "is
crats, particularly Pelosi for nity to have a signature in- an administration official removing the president there yet."
from office but to bol- Pelosi faces her own po-
ster their position in court litical calculations amid the
against his blocking their push-pull of impeachment.
probes with broad claims While Democrats have a
of immunity. Rep. Alexan- majority in the House, and
dria Ocasio-Cortez of New would likely find support
York spoke up at the meet- for starting impeachment
ing, and some two dozen proceedings, it could be a
Democrats have signed on tighter vote than the 235-
to the idea. 197 margin suggests. Many
With her leadership team, lawmakers come from rela-
Pelosi, who has resisted tively conservative districts
pressure to impeach, sug- where Trump also has sup-
gested patience. She port. Democrats have long
pointed rank-and-file Dem- said they can work on two
ocrats toward the legal tracks -- conducting over-
battles that she said have sight and legislating on their
already found success i n agenda of lower health
forcing Trump to comply care costs and infrastruc-
with investigations. ture investment. But Trump
"We do believe it's impor- says they can't do both.
tant to follow the facts," "They can continue the
Pelosi told reporters after- Witch Hunt ... or get back
ward. "We believe that to work," Trump tweeted.
no one is above the law, Pelosi showed no signs of
including the president of backing down.
the United States, and we "The fact is, in plain sight,
believe that the president in the public domain, this
of the United States is en- president is obstructing jus-
gaged in a cover-up." tice and he's engaged in a
A federal judge ruled cover-up, and that could
Wednesday that the White be impeachable," Pelosi
House cannot block sub- said during an event later
poenas for Trump's finan- at the liberal Center for
cial records from Deutsche American Progress.q