USA Today - 01.11.2019

6A z FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019z USA TODAY NEWS

WASHINGTON – U.S. troops and

armored vehicles entered Syria Thurs-

day on a mission to protect oil fields

from falling into the hands of Islamic

State terrorists, according to a U.S. of-

ficial.

Dozens of soldiers and fewer than

10 Bradley armored vehicles moved

into the northeastern part of Syria,

said the official, who was not autho-

rized to speak publicly. It's not clear

how many troops or vehicles ultimate-

ly will be deployed, the official said.

The deployment comes less than a

week after President Donald Trump

ordered the raid that killed Abu Bakr

al-Baghdadi, thehead of the Islamic

State, also known as ISIS.

On Thursday, the spokesman for

the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS

tweeted photos of troops loading

Bradley vehicles aboard aircraft for the

mission in Syria. It is the first time in the

five-year war on ISIS that American ar-

mor has been used to fight the extrem-

ists. The U.S.-led coalition has relied

mainly on airstrikes to support local

forces on the ground.

The region in northeastern Syria is

home to oil wealth that Pentagon offi-

cials and Trump have vowed to keep

from falling into the hands of ISIS. The

movement of troops and armor is the

latest in Trump's whip-sawing strategy

for Syria. In December 2018, he ordered

a full withdrawal of the 2,000 troops

who had been in Syria advising and

fighting alongside mostly Kurdish

forces who had routed ISIS.

That announcement prompted the

resignation of then-Defense Secretary

Jim Mattis, and Trump relented to pres-

sure from Congress to maintain a force

of about 1,000 troops in the country. On

Oct. 6, Trump ordered a withdrawal of

virtually all U.S. troops from Syria, pav-

ing the way for Turkey to press an as-

sault against Kurds whom the Turks

consider terrorists.

Troops, armor move into Syria

Tom Vanden Brook

USA TODAY

ISIS names new leader

The Islamic State announced its new

leader Thursday, less than a week after

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi blew himself up

during a raid by U.S. forces on his com-

pound in Syria.

The announcement was reported by

according to the Site Intelligence

Group, which monitors the online con-

tent of extremist militant groups.

The site said al-Baghdadi had been

succeeded by Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi

al-Qurayshi. Few details about al-Qu-

rayshi were provided. His nationality is

not known.

Kim Hjelmgaard

WASHINGTON – President Donald
Trump has disclosed the name of the
dog woundedin the U.S. special opera-
tions raid near the Syria-Turkey bor-
der that killed the leader of the Islamic
State.
He also said the courageous canine
would soon pay a visit to the White
House.
Commenting on a previous post in
which he shared an altered
photographthat depicted him bestow-
ing a medal on the dog, Trump tweeted
Wednesday that “the ‘live’”version of
Conan will be leaving the Middle East
for the White House
sometime next
week!”
Trump’s tweet
was the first official
declaration that the
dog he dubbed an
“American hero”
was named Conan.
The name already
had been shared in
some reportsearlier
Wednesday that
cited unnamed
sources.
Conan, a Belgian
Malinois, accompanied theteam of
U.S. commandos that entered Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi’s compound in
northern Syria, Trump said Sunday.
The dog was wounded when al-Bagh-
dadi detonated a suicide vest after be-
ing chased into a dead-end tunnel,
killing himself and three of his chil-
dren.
Many people were amused that the
dog’s name and gender had been kept
secret, including Twitter users who
shared images of their pets under a
#DeclassifiedDog hashtag. But retired
Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, a mili-
tary analyst for CNN, explained in a
tweet that “there’s actually a security
reason for it” related to concerns that
the dog’s identity could be used to
identify the special forces unit.
Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook

Trump reveals

name of dog

hurt in raid

William Cummings
USA TODAY

Conan, a
Belgian
Malinois

WASHINGTON – California Rep.

Katie Hill gave her last speech on the

House floor Thursday after announc-

ing her resignation would be effective

Friday.

Hill, a freshman Democrat repre-

senting California’s 25th district, re-

signed following allegations she had

an inappropriate sexual relationship

with staffers.

Speaking to a near-empty chamber,

Hill apologized to her supporters for

mistakes she said will haunt her.

“To those who felt like I gave them

hope in one of the darkest times in our

nation’s history, I’m sorry,” Hill said.

Hill has denied the claim that she

engaged in a sexual relationship with a

congressional aide, but has acknowl-

edged she had a relationship with a

campaign staffer, apologizing and say-

ing the relationship happened “despite

my better judgment.”

The claims originated on a conser-

vative blog last month, along with

nude photos of the congresswoman.

Sexual relationships between members

of the House and their subordinates vio-

late Congressional rules, and the House

Ethics Committee had begun an

investigationinto the claim.

Hill urged other women not to be dis-

couraged and called on them to con-

tinue running for office and “stepping up

as leaders.” She recognized she bears re-

sponsibility for her actions but pointed

to a culture she sees as misogynistic.

“I’m leaving now because of a double

standard,” Hill said, adding, “I’m leav-

ing, but we have men who have been

credibly accused of intentional acts of

sexual violence and remain in board

rooms, in the Supreme Court, in this

very body and worst of all in the Oval Of-

fice.”

Her speech on the floor came after

the House voted to approve a resolution

that establishes procedures for the next

phase of the impeachment inquiry into

President Donald Trump. Hill voted for

the resolution.

Members exchanged embraces with

Hill on the floor after the vote. Before

Hill gave her speech, Speaker of the

House Nancy Pelosi gave remarks to re-

porters and called Hill an “absolutely

outstanding young public servant.”

“Regardless of any errors in judg-

ment that anyone may have made, it’s

shameful that she’s been exposed to

public humiliation by way of cyber ex-

ploitation,” Pelosi said.

Contributing: Deborah Berry, Chris-

tal Hayes

Hill gives last congressional speech

Jeanine Santucci

USA TODAY

Rep. Katie Hill, D-Calif., at the U.S.

Capitol on Thursday following her final

speech. WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES

said this Congress has produced more
subpoenas than signed laws. “Demo-
crats are continuing their permanent
campaign to undermine his legitimacy,”
he said.
White House press secretary Stepha-
nie Grisham said Democrats have an
“unhinged obsession” with impeach-
ment and were engaged in a partisan ef-
fort to “destroy the president.”
“The president has done nothing
wrong, and the Democrats know it,”
Grisham said. “The Democrats want to
render a verdict without giving the ad-
ministration a chance to mount a de-
fense. That is unfair, unconstitutional,
and fundamentally un-American.”
Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the
second-ranking Republican in the
House, said unified GOP
opposition to the “Soviet-
style investigation” sig-
naled support for Trump
and his policies. Two
Democrats broke ranks
and opposed the resolu-
tion: Reps. Collin Peter-
son of Minnesota and Jef-
ferson Van Drew of New
Jersey. Van Drew issued a
statement saying the in-
quiry would tear the
country apart despite the
effort’s likelihood of fail-
ing in the Senate.
The focus of the investigation has
been Trump urging Ukraine President
Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate his
political rival, former Vice President Joe
Biden, while withholding nearly $
million in military aid from that country.
Three committees – Foreign Affairs, In-
telligence, and Oversight and Reform –
have been holding closed-door deposi-
tions for weeks with State Department
and national security officials to learn
more about Trump’s July 25 call with
Zelensky, under a policy that witnesses
have testified was guided by the presi-
dent’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani,
rather than government professionals.
The Judiciary Committee also has
been focused on Trump possibly ob-
structing justice, as described in special
counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Rus-
sian interference in the 2016 election.

Several of Trump’s aides in the White

House and from the campaign de-

scribed efforts to thwart Mueller’s in-

quiry or remove him. Other committees

• Financial Services, Oversight, and
  Ways and Means – have been seeking
  Trump’s financial documents and in-
  vestigating whether he profited uncon-
  stitutionally from his namesake busi-
  ness while in office.
  “The House impeachment inquiry
  has discovered a significant body of evi-
  dence that the president of the United
  States has violated the Constitution by
  placing his political interests ahead of
  the interests of the country, thereby
  putting both our democracy and the na-
  tion’s security in jeopardy,” said Rep. Ja-
  mie Raskin, D-Md., a member of the Ju-
  diciary and Oversight committees.
  Another member of the Oversight
  panel, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif.,
  said Trump has obstructed the House
  since the inquiry began and ignored
  subpoenas.
  “This is an unprece-
  dented cover-up, and the
  White House and its de-
  fenders in Congress have
  tried to justify it with
  baseless procedural
  claims that contradict the
  Constitution and historic
  precedent,” he said.
  But Trump has blasted
  the various inquiries as a
  “witch hunt” after Muell-
  er’s investigation shad-
  owed his first two years in
  office and House Democrats vigorously
  began investigations after reclaiming
  control of the chamber in January.
  Trump and congressional Republicans
  have called Democrats “sore losers” of
  the 2016 election, in the words of Senate
  Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham,
  R-S.C., and said nothing the president
  has done warrants impeachment.
  “A yes vote on this resolution today
  gives a stamp of approval to a process
  that has been damaged beyond all re-
  pair in a blatant and obvious coup to un-
  seat a sitting president of the United
  States,” said Rep. Ross Spano, R-Fla.
  Trump tweeted Thursday that “The
  Do Nothing Democrats have gone Crazy.
  Very bad for USA!”
  Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a for-
  mer Republican who became an inde-
  pendent after supporting the impeach-
  ment investigation, tweeted during the

debate that excusing Trump’s misbe-

havior “will forever tarnish your name.”

“To my Republican colleagues: Step

outside your media and social bubble,”

Amash said. “History will not look kind-

ly on disingenuous, frivolous, and false

defenses of this man.”

Even if Trump is impeached, he is un-

likely to be removed from office. Im-

peachment would require a majority of

the Democratic-controlled House to ap-

prove articles from the Judiciary Com-

mittee in what would basically be an in-

dictment of Trump. The Republican-led

Senate would then hold a trial, where a

two-thirds majority would be required

in order to remove Trump from office.

The resolution adopted Thursday

sets rules for how the various commit-

tees will funnel their evidence to the Ju-

diciary Committee. The Intelligence and

Judiciary committees will hold public

hearings, with the release of transcripts

of confidential witness testimony.

Trump’s counsel will be allowed to

participate in the Judiciary Committee’s

phase of the process by receiving evi-

dence and staff reports, questioning

witnesses, submitting additional evi-

dence and being invited to offer a con-

cluding presentation.

But Republicans complained that

Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-

Calif., and Judiciary Chairman Jerry

Nadler, D-N.Y., will be able to reject Re-

publican subpoenas. Republicans also

criticized Nadler’s power to limit the

president’s ability to call or question

witnesses if he rules the administration

is withholding documents or witnesses.

Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, the top

Republican on the Judiciary Committee,

said the inquiry so far with the Intelli-

gence Committee holding depositions

behind closed doors left his panel “neu-

tered” and “completely sidelined.”

“This is a dark day, and a cloud has

fallen on this House,” Collins said. “It’s

not about fairness, it’s about winning.”

Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, top Re-

publican on the Rules Committee,

which drafted the resolution, called the

effort a “closed impeachment inquiry in

what amounts to nothing more than a

partisan fishing expedition.”

“It’s not a fair process. It’s not an

open process. It’s not a transparent

process,” Cole said. “But instead, it’s a

limited and a closed process with a

preordained outcome.”

Inquiry

Continued from Page 1A

House approves impeachment rules by 232 to 196 vote

SOURCE House of Representatives; USA TODAY research

George Petras/USA TODAY

1 – At the time of the vote, the House had three vacancies in Maryland, New York and Wisconsin

FOR RULES

Democrats

Independents

Republicans

231

0

1

NOT VOTING

Democrats

Independents

Republicans

1

3

0

AGAINST

Democrats

Independents

Republicans

2

194

0

Vacant seats^1

“This is a dark day,

and a cloud has

fallen on this

House. It’s not

about fairness,

it’s about winning.”

Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga.