We provide context for some of the statements made at the first day of the public impeachment hearings.
Day One of the Public Impeachment Hearings
The Data on DACA and Crime
Hours before the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over whether the Trump administration could end a deferred deportation program for so-called “Dreamers,” the president tweeted that “some” of those receiving that protection “are very tough, hardened criminals.” But certain criminal activity, such as a felony or significant misdemeanor conviction, is grounds for denial or ejection from the program.
Trump Muddies Impeachment Timeline
President Donald Trump continues to muddle the timeline of events to falsely suggest that the White House release of a memo summarizing his July phone call with the president of Ukraine silenced whistleblowers and contradicted Democratic leaders.
Trump Spins Court Ruling on Trump Foundation
President Trump downplayed the findings in a case against his namesake charitable foundation, claiming the judge had found only “some small technical violations.” Actually, the judge ruled that Trump “breached his fiduciary duty” to the Donald J. Trump Foundation in service of his 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump’s Shaky $5,000 Boast
President Donald Trump is on shaky ground when he claims that annual income for the typical household is up by an inflation-adjusted $5,000 since he took office. That turns out to be based on an erratic series of estimates drawn from a government survey that isn’t even designed to measure income.
Trump Twists Impeachment Polls
A number of national polls show more Americans want President Donald Trump impeached and removed from office than those who don’t. In swing states, however, a majority opposes removing Trump from office via impeachment, even as a majority supports moving forward with the impeachment inquiry.
Trump Ad Misleads on Illegal Immigration
President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign makes the misleading claim in a TV ad that he is “cutting illegal immigration in half.” In fact, apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2019 were more than double the total in fiscal year 2016 and almost triple the total in fiscal year 2017.
What We’ve Learned From Impeachment Inquiry
President Donald Trump repeatedly has said his July 25 phone call with the Ukrainian president was “perfect,” and a simple reading of the “transcript” is all that’s needed to evaluate the impeachment probe. But congressional testimony has revealed key pieces of information beyond that conversation.
Not ‘Twitter Intel’
National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien dismissed as “Twitter intel” the suggestion that more than 100 captured Islamic State fighters escaped from prisons in Syria amid fighting between Turkish soldiers and Syrian Kurds. But that was a figure provided by the secretary of defense and a top official in the State Department.
Trump’s False Claim about Syrian ‘Safe Zone’
In explaining his decision to pull U.S. forces from northern Syria and allow Turkey to set up a “safe zone” in Syria, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that Turkey has lost “thousands and thousands of people from that safe zone.”