Pelosi's Halloween Trick
 
Speaker Nancy Pelosi's House of Representatives served up a nasty trick on the American people this Halloween by voting 232-to-196 to establish rules for impeachment proceedings against President Trump. 
 
Bitter progressives never accepted the results of the 2016 election.  They have been calling for Trump's impeachment since the day he was inaugurated.  And today, Pelosi delivered.  And keep in mind that the progressives going after Trump today have vowed to go after his judges too!
 
By the way, two Democrats voted against the impeachment resolution and no Republicans supported it.  So the only bipartisan aspect about impeachment is the opposition to it.
 
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ) slammed Pelosi's hyper-partisan impeachment effort, saying, "At the end of the day, we'll have the same president and same candidate and a failed impeachment process, and the only difference would be that the president will have been exonerated of charges" by the Senate. 
 
There is an election in twelve months when the American people will have the opportunity to offer their judgment on the Trump presidency.  Sadly, the progressive majority in the House is wasting valuable time on meaningless investigations and political recriminations, further dividing the country.
 
 
 
The White House Responds
 
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham released the following statement immediately following this morning's vote:
 
"The President has done nothing wrong, and the Democrats know it. Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats' unhinged obsession with this illegitimate impeachment proceeding does not hurt President Trump; it hurts the American people.
 
"Instead of focusing on pressing issues that impact real families, like reducing gun violence, passing the USMCA, improving healthcare, lowering prescription drug costs, securing our southern border, and modernizing our aging infrastructure, the Democrats are choosing every day to waste time on a sham impeachment. . .
 
"With today's vote, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats have done nothing more than enshrine unacceptable violations of due process into House rules. . . and have now voted to authorize a second round of hearings that still fails to provide any due process whatsoever to the Administration.
 
"The Democrats want to render a verdict without giving the Administration a chance to mount a defense. That is unfair, unconstitutional, and fundamentally un-American."
 
 
 
We Just Filed Ethics Complaint
 
I joined 40 other conservative leaders in filing a formal ethics complaint against Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her conduct in this impeachment charade. 
 
The complaint alleges that Pelosi ignored efforts by the Obama Administration to strong-arm Ukraine into firing a prosecutor or risk losing U.S. aid. 
 
It also accuses Pelosi of weaponizing the impeachment process by launching an illegitimate inquiry weeks ago without formal authorization by the full House.
 
 
 
Deep State Leaker Named
 
Investigative journalist Paul Sperry has a compelling column today naming Eric Ciaramella as the so-called "whistleblower" who filed the initial complaint objecting to the president's call with the Ukrainian leader. 
 
According to Sperry, Ciaramella left his White House post and returned to the CIA in mid-2017 "amid concerns about negative leaks to the media."
 
Sperry also reports that Ciaramella had invited Alexandra Chalupa to the White House for several meetings.  You may be hearing a lot more about her in the future.
 
Chalupa is the operative who was dispatched to Ukraine to dig up dirt on Donald Trump on behalf of the Clinton campaign.  It was her efforts that led to this January 2017 Politico report, "Ukrainian Efforts To Sabotage Trump Backfire.  Kiev Officials Scrambling To Make Amends After Quietly Working To Boost Clinton."
 
Again, I must ask why it is okay for the left to invite foreign interference in the election for its benefit, but Trump gets impeached for merely asking questions? 
 
This would seem like a good issue for the Senate Intelligence Committee to delve into.  Don't you agree, Chairman Burr?
 
 
 
Israel On Alert
 
Major General Amikam Norkin, commander of the Israeli Air Force, told graduating officers yesterday that Israel's air defense systems are "on alert" for attacks from Iran.  "Even as we speak, Arrow, Patriot, David's Sling and Iron Dome batteries are on alert," Gen. Norkin said.  He also warned that the challenge is "more complicated now," with the addition of "attack drones and cruise missiles."
 
The Times of Israel reports that IDF strategists believe Iran is preparing to "retaliate" for Israel's aggressive campaign against Tehran's terrorist proxies in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.  They are preparing for a large missile barrage similar to the strike that badly damaged critical Saudi oil facilities last month.
 
Gen. Norkin's comments come on the heels of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's warning on Monday that Iran was deploying precision-guided missiles in Yemen that are capable of striking Israel.