ICYMI: Here's what you missed on Sunday's "Face the Nation", November 24, 2019
As lawmakers leave Washington for the Thanksgiving holiday, a recess week traditionally meant for town halls and constituency outreach, will now be spent compiling the House report on the first phase of the public impeachment probe. The Intelligence Committee passed the impeachment baton on Thursday after 30+ hours of televised testimony and more than 3900 pages of depositions. It now moves to Judiciary Committee control but much of Washington and the American public are still wondering juts what comes next for President Donald Trump and the future of the White House. We tackled that question and much more on this week's "Face the Nation"
Here's the big takeaways from Sunday's episode of "Face the Nation" with Margaret Brennan
Kellyanne Conway says White House ready to "go on offense" in Senate impeachment trial
- White House Counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan that the administration is prepared to mount a robust legal and political defense of President Trump if House Democrats vote to impeach him and the Republican-controlled Senate holds a trial to decide whether to remove him from office.
What Conway said: "Defense will go on offense if there is a Senate trial," Conway said on "Face the Nation" Sunday. "We'll be able to call witnesses, we'll be able to challenge their witnesses, produce other evidence and those witnesses may include the whistleblower and I would say his attorney."
On the 2020 race: "We're ready", Conway says of Trump's Democratic challengers in the 2020 election. Amid news that Michael Bloomberg was entering the race, Conway said that the former mayor's entry "means that the Democratic field is underwhelming."
Why this all matters: After blistering testimony that put the president's conduct into serious question, the White House is now saving face and accepting the reality that perhaps the impeachment probe may work its way to Senate. But a Trump White House, much like the commander-in-chief, appears more than willing to take on its challengers and focus on the road ahead -- namely the 2020 race.
Himes says Nunes pushed "fantastical conspiracy theories" at impeachment hearings
- Democrat Rep. Jim Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Commitee, accused ranking member Rep. Devin Nunes of having pushed "fantastical" conspiracy theories about Ukraine's involvement in the 2016 election during the public impeachment probe last week.
- What Himes said: "If you watched Devin Nunes for five minutes in these hearings, you know that he has given over to the, utterly, to the defense of the president and more importantly, to the propagation of fantastical conspiracy theories," Himes said on "Face the Nation" Sunday.
- Why that matters: If you listened to the warnings from several witnesses in the impeachment hearings, including former NSC official Fiona Hill, members who continue to push widely debunked conspiracy theories are only aiding in Russia's disinformation campaign that appears to not have stopped since its first iteration in 2016. The theory is at the center of efforts spearheaded by Rudy Giuliani to oust Marie Yovanovitch as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine earlier this year. Multiple assessments by the intelligence community, special counsel Robert Mueller and congressional committees have found that the Russian government staged a sophisticated campaign to interfere in the 2016 election and sow discord in the U.S.
Rep. Kelly Armstrong predicts Dems will lose "more and more control" over impeachment in Judiciary
- First-term congressman Republican Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota suggested that as the impeachment probe moves under the Judiciary Committee's purview, Democrats will lose "more and more control" over the impeachment inquiry.
- What Armstrong said: "As we continue to move forward, I think the one thing that is true is that the Democrats are going to lose more and more control over this. I mean, at some point in time, Democrats are going to have to enforce some of the rules they passed on their own legislation, Armstrong told "Face the Nation". He added, "This has been the most narrowly tailored and controlled thing by Chairman Schiff, both in the depositions, which I was a part of, and in the Intelligence Committee. But as it moves over- over to the Judiciary Committee, they're going to lose more and more of that control." He added that "as a political exercise, I don't think it's been a success for the Democrats."
- Why that matters: Armstrong's suggestion could mean rough waters for the House Democrats' strategy of focusing on a wide range of impeachable offenses and more opportunity for Republicans to poke holes in the method in which the probe has been carried out thus far. It's unclear if more or new witness testimony is expected, but Republicans are prepared to zero-in on the Biden connection to Ukraine, effectively shifting the focus away from Trump and his associates.
Another one joins the pack: Bloomberg rolls out 2020 campaign
- Former NYC Mayor and billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg formally announced he is running for the Democratic presidential nomination Sunday, launching a multimillion-dollar ad campaign that frames his candidacy as the best hope for defeating President Trump.
- Bloomberg's first minute-long advertisement will debut nationally on "60 Minutes" on Sunday evening, and appear again on NBC Sunday Night Football. It will begin airing across most Super Tuesday states Monday, according to a campaign aide. The former mayor is spending at least $34 million on the ad, which will run through December 3.
- Why that matters: Bloomberg's entry into the already jam-packed 2020 field is seen by some as an attempt to woo more moderate Republicans away from the party that appears somewhat frustrated with their own candidate. But his run also is perceived by many in the Democratic party as just another billionaire willing to bank-roll his way onto the primary ballot. To quell those concerns, according to aides, Bloomberg doesn't plan on accepting campaign contributions and if elected president, he would not accept a salary.
- Turning down contributions, however, means Bloomberg won't be eligible to appear in Democratic debates, which require candidates to obtain a certain number of donors under current party rules.