Republicans mount all-out assault on articles of impeachment against Donald Trump demanding charge of abuse of power is removed and calling president ‘innocent’

• Republicans offered their first amendment to impeachment articles: striking an ‘abuse of power’ article
• Action to run throughout the day on Judiciary panel’s second day of hearings 
• Democrats began their Thursday hearing by having a clerk read two impeachment articles against President Trump
• A Republican sought to waive the reading but Democrat Zoe Lofgren objected 
• Chairman Jerry Nadler introduced a ‘substitute’ amendment changing articles to impeach ‘Donald John Trump’ 
• It earlier named articles against ‘Donald J. Trump’ 
• Trump defended himself in real-time on Twitter 
• Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert named seven people during a Wednesday impeachment hearing who he said should be called as witnesses 
• One of them is widely thought to have been the Ukraine whistle-blower who launched the impeachment saga  

House Republicans repeatedly sought to undermine the Democratic effort to impeach President Donald Trump on Thursday by seeking to completely strike a charge that he abused his power – mocking the charges leveled against him and denying he tried to foist a ‘quid pro quo’ on the president of Ukraine.

The angry televised fireworks came as the Democratic-run committee plodded ahead in its impeachment effort – which could have the House voting on impeachment articles as early as next week to set up a dramatic trial in the Senate.

Democrats began their historic Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday by having a clerk read through two articles of impeachment word-for-word – allowing gathered members and TV viewers to hear each charge they are leveling against Donald Trump.

Republicans on the panel immediately began their day’s mission – savaging the Democratic impeachment effort on technical and substantive grounds – by introducing an amendment striking Article 1 of the impeachment articles, the one accusing Trump of abuse of power in his dealings with Ukraine.

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio introduced an amendment striking down the first of two impeachment articles – the one charging Trump with abuse of power through his interactions with Ukraine.

“READ MORE…”