The Wall Street Journal - 13.09.2019

A4| Friday, September 13, 2019 PWLC101112HTGKBFAM123456789OIXX ** THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

WASHINGTON—A House

panel formalized procedures

for its investigation into

whether to recommend arti-

cles of impeachment against

President Trump, advancing a

long-running probe but offer-

ing little clarity on Democrats’

endgame.

The resolution, which the

House Judiciary Committee

passed along party lines Thurs-

day, authorizes Chairman Jerr-

old Nadler of New York to des-

ignate certain hearings as part

of the continuing investigation.

It also gives committee law-

yers the chance to question

witnesses for an hour after all

lawmakers have asked ques-

tions, and gives the White

House counsel a chance to re-

spond in writing to informa-

tion presented to the panel.

Democrats said they plan an

aggressive schedule of hear-

ings aimed at determining by

year’s end whether to recom-

mend the removal of the presi-

dent. Party lawmakers support

further investigations of Mr.

Trump but remain split over

whether to pursue impeach-

ment or even whether an im-

peachment process has begun.

“This committee is engaged

in an investigation that will al-

low us to determine whether

to recommend articles of im-

peachment with respect to

President Trump,” Mr. Nadler

said.

Republicans accused Demo-

crats of creating an illusion

that impeachment proceedings

were under way when the full

House hadn’t authorized such

an inquiry.

“Throughout all the major-

ity’s theatrics, they have failed

to move the needle at all when

it comes to the people in this

country,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz

(R., Fla.). “It’s a hearing about

nothing.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

(D., Calif.) has engaged in the

delicate task of balancing com-

peting interests within the

Democratic caucus. In voting

to formalize procedures, Dem-

ocrats are attempting to come

together around a single, uni-

fied description of their activi-

ties, even if they don’t agree

on ultimately pursuing im-

peachment.

Republicans say that Demo-

crats are trying to put life into

their probe after a report ear-

lier this year from then-special

counsel Robert Mueller failed

to ignite broad public outrage.

The report didn’t establish suf-

ficient evidence to conclude

that the Trump campaign had

conspired with Moscow to hurt

Hillary Clinton in the 2016

elections, and it declined to

conclude whether the presi-

dent had engaged in obstruc-

tion of justice, although it

made clear it hadn’t exoner-

ated Mr. Trump and cited sev-

eral instances in which he tried

to curtail the probe.

The Democratic-led panel is

focusing on at least five epi-

sodes detailed in the Mueller

report, including an instance

in June 2017 when Mr. Trump

asked his White House coun-

sel, Don McGahn, to call then-

Deputy Attorney General Rod

Rosenstein to have Mr. Muel-

ler removed, a request Mr. Mc-

Gahn felt was inappropriate.

Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter in

April that “I never told then

White House Counsel Don Mc-

Gahn to fire Robert Mueller,

even though I had the legal

right to do so.”

The probe has also ex-

panded beyond the Mueller re-

port, to include Mr. Trump’s

orders to witnesses to rebuff

subpoenas, as well as hush-

money payments to adult-film

actress Stephanie Clifford,

known professionally as

Stormy Daniels, and allegations

that Mr. Trump offered to par-

don officials who break the law

to construct his desired border

wall by the 2020 elections.

Mr. Trump has denied any

obstruction or collusion.

—Natalie Andrews

contributed to this article.

BYSIOBHANHUGHES

House

Probe of

Trump

Advances

Democrats remain

divided over whether

they want to pursue

impeachment.

“I’m fulfilling the legacy of

Barack Obama and you’re not,”

Mr. Castro told Mr. Biden.

Mr. Castro, who challenged

Mr. Biden several times through-

out the night, also had sharp

words for the former vice presi-

dent on immigration.

As Mr. Biden defended Mr.

Obama over his administration’s

deportation of undocumented

immigrants, Univision anchor

Jorge Ramos pushed: “How

about you?”

“I’m the vice president of the

United States,” Mr. Biden said.

“He wants to take credit for

Obama’s work but not have to

answer any questions,” said Mr.

Castro, who had also been part

of the administration. During the

last debate, Sen. Cory Booker of

New Jersey criticized Mr. Biden

similarly.

“That’s not what I said,” Mr.

Biden responded. “I stand with

Barack Obama all eight years:

good, bad and indifferent.”

While several of the candi-

dates took aim at each other,

Sen. Kamala Harris of California,

who attacked Mr. Biden in the

first round of debates, largely di-

rected her comments at Mr.

Trump. “You have used hate, in-

timidation, fear and over 12,

lies as a way to distract from

your failed policies and your bro-

ken promises,” she said, speak-

ing directly to the GOP president.

She also criticized him as con-

ducting policy by tweet and

comparing his trade policy to

“that guy in ‘The Wizard of Oz.’”

“When you pull back the cur-

tain, it’s a really small dude,” she

said.

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of

Texas used the spotlight to talk

about the shooting in his home-

town of El Paso, where 22 people

were killed at a Walmart shop-

ping center. He accused Mr.

Trump of welcoming racism and

violence into the country and

criticized the current political

landscape as insufficient to meet

the growing threat of violence.

“The bitterness, the pettiness,

the smallness of the moment, the

incentives to attack one another

and try to make differences with-

out distinctions, mountains out

of mole hills, we have to be big-

ger,” Mr. O’Rourke said.

Mr. O’Rourke also called for

taking back military-style rifles

from Americans, saying “Hell,

yes, we’re going to take your

AR-15, your AK-47.”

In an extended foreign-policy

discussion, Mr. Biden said he had

made a mistake when he, as a

senator, voted to authorize the

2003 invasion of Iraq. “I should

have never voted to give [former

President George W.] Bush the

authority to go in and do what

we said he was going to do,” he

said. Recently, Mr. Biden falsely

stated that he opposed the Iraq

war the “moment it started.” A

campaign adviser later said Mr.

Biden “misspoke.”

Mr. Sanders seized on Mr. Bi-

den’s admission of error. “One of

the big differences between you

and me, I never believed what

[former Vice President Dick]

Cheney and Bush said about Iraq

and I voted against the war in

Iraq and helped lead the opposi-

tion,” Mr. Sanders said.

—Jesse Naranjo, John

McCormick and Ken Thomas

contributed to this article.

in America and committed this

country to health care for every

human being,” Ms. Warren said,

adding that the goal now should

be to improve on it.

And Mr. Biden drew criticism

from Mr. Sanders, who repre-

sents Vermont, and former

Housing and Urban Development

Secretary Julián Castro, who said

Mr. Biden’s plan is too incremen-

tal and doesn’t provide broad

enough coverage.

ContinuedfromPageOne

Top Rivals

Spar on

Health Care

U.S. NEWS

communities we serve across

the country,” the letter says.

Many of the CEOs who

signed the letter run Califor-

nia-based startups and tech-

nology firms such asTwitter

Inc. and big advertising agen-

cies. It doesn’t include many

of the country’s largest com-

panies, including Alphabet

Inc.,AppleInc.,WalmartInc.

or Wall Street banks.

Chief executives fromRoyal

Caribbean CruisesLtd., pub-

lisherCondé Nastand apparel

retailerGapInc. were among

the more than 150 business

leaders who signed the letter.

Levi drafted the letter in

partnership with Everytown

for Gun Safety, a gun-control

group, said Anna Walker,

Levi’s vice president of global

public policy. Levi’s CEO Chip

Bergh worked to gather signa-

tures, she said.

In February, members of the

House passed legislation that

expanded background checks

to nearly all gun sales.

For companies, publicly

speaking in support of more

expansive background checks

is sure to alienate some con-

sumers, but the vast majority

of Americans support the

measure, according to surveys

from the Pew Research Center.

Earlier this month, Walmart

said it would stop selling cer-

tain kinds of ammunition and

guns, and asked shoppers to

not openly carry firearms in

stores in the wake of a shoot-

inginanElPaso,Texas,Wal-

mart this summer that killed

22 people. Walmart’s CEO

Doug McMillon said at the

time that politicians should

strengthen background checks

and sent letters to the White

House and leaders in Congress

stating their support.

“Our position was made

abundantly clear to the con-

gressional leadership” in Mr.

McMillon’s letter, a Walmart

spokesman said Thursday. “We

certainly appreciate others

adding their voices.”

On Tuesday, Senate Major-

ity Leader Mitch McConnell

(R., Ky.) declined to go into

specifics on what legislation

he would support, but he reit-

erated the Senate would only

take up gun legislation that

President Trump would sign.

Mr. Trump was briefed by

top White House advisers on

his gun options Thursday. A

person familiar with the ses-

sion said they agreed on some

policy recommendations, but

said “more work” needed to be

done on background checks.

“I think we made some

good progress,” Mr. Trump

said as he left the White

House en route to Baltimore.

Chief executives of dozens

of companies ranging from

Levi Strauss&Co.toUber

TechnologiesInc. sent a letter

to members of the Senate ask-

ing them to pass new legisla-

tion to prevent gun violence.

The letter asks senators to

pass legislation requiring back-

ground checks on gun sales

and said failing to take action

on the issue is unacceptable.

“We are writing to you be-

cause we have a responsibility

and obligation to stand up for

the safety of our employees, cus-

tomers and all Americans in the

BYSARAHNASSAUER

ANDCATHERINELUCEY

CEOs Push Senate to Pass Gun Legislation

WASHINGTON—The Su-

preme Court’s decision to al-

low, for now, enforcement of

new asylum restrictions na-

tionwide is the Trump admin-

istration’s widest-reaching

policy victory yet on reducing

migration from Central Amer-

ica, but its immediate impact

at the southern border re-

mained unclear Thursday.

Migrants who cross the

border illegally or come to le-

gal border crossings will still

be allowed to ask for asylum,

the Department of Homeland

Security said, though the out-

come of their requests may ul-

timately be predetermined if

the rule survives ongoing legal

challenges.

The Supreme Court ruling

Wednesday only ends a na-

tionwide block on the policy

orderedbyalowercourt.

Under the new rule, which

the Trump administration

published in July, migrants

who pass through another

country must seek asylum

there rather than at the U.S.

border, where they will be in-

eligible to do so.

The policy effectively cuts

off the chance to win asylum

for immigrants from El Salva-

dor, Guatemala or Honduras—

who are the vast majority of

people crossing the border.

A Homeland Security offi-

cial said newly arriving mi-

grants are subject to a process

known as “expedited removal,”

under which migrants can be

deported without a court

hearing, but would-be asylum

seekers can still ask for an in-

terview with an asylum officer

and even ask for a judge to

hear their cases.

Even if they are denied asy-

lum, migrants can also ask for

other protections if they fear

returning to their home na-

tions.

Under U.S. law, they can

also apply for a more limited

status allowing them to re-

main in the U.S. and work,

though that option can never

lead to permanent residence,

and it requires meeting a

higher threshold of proof that

an immigrant faces persecu-

tion at home.

Some immigrant advocates

and lawyers say that, to be

considered for this temporary

status, immigrants must know

to ask for it specifically; most

currently don’t.

Randy Capps, director of re-

search at the Migration Policy

Institute, a nonpartisan think

tank in Washington, said the

new rule and swift deporta-

tions of ineligible asylum

seekers would deter many

more people in Central Amer-

ica from attempting to make

the journey north.

“Purely from an enforce-

ment point of view, if you de-

port people back to their

home countries quickly, that

will have a big impact because

people in their home commu-

nities will say, ‘Oh, it didn’t

work, they didn’t get in,’” he

said.

DHS may face practical hur-

dles in trying to detain and

quickly deport thousands of

newly arriving migrants: U.S.

Immigration and Customs En-

forcement, an enforcement

arm of DHS, has long said it

doesn’t have enough jail space

to house safely migrants wait-

ing for deportation.

In Texas and New Mexico,

where a federal circuit court

allowed the policy to take ef-

fect several weeks ago, immi-

grants have been permitted to

apply for asylum, a process

that could stretch weeks or

even months.

If the Trump administra-

tion allows this practice to

continue across the entire bor-

der, as a DHS official sug-

gested is the case, these immi-

grants could be permitted to

stay in the U.S. to attend hear-

ings, adding to an immigration

court backlog, though their

cases would be largely prede-

termined.

The administration has ar-

gued that the U.S. asylum pro-

cess has motivated the surge

of migrants from Central

America this year.

BYMICHELLEHACKMAN

ANDALICIAA.CALDWELL

Asylum Ruling’s Impact Is Unclear

Immigrants at the Mexico-U.S. border in Tijuana Thursday. The Supreme Court let stand a rule curbing Central American asylum seekers.

SANDY HUFFAKER/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

Ten of the Democratic presidential hopefuls took the stage Thursday night for the party’s debate at Texas Southern University in Houston.

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES