在乔治·布什政府中担任白宫首席道德律师的律师理查德·佩因特(Richard Painter)周四警告称，唐纳德·特朗普总统似乎犯了“重罪贿赂”，在参议院越来越有可能进行弹劾审判之前，他给共和党参议员筹款。
这位律师分享了政治组织周四早上发表的一篇文章。这篇题为“特朗普用现金诱惑共和党参议员弹劾”的文章概述如何总统正转向他庞大的捐助者网络，为2020年面临艰难连任竞选的几名参议员筹集资金。所有这些参议员还签署了一项谴责民主党领导的弹劾调查的决议。
“这是贿赂。任何其他在审判前向陪审团提供现金的美国人都会因重罪贿赂而入狱。但他能逃脱吗？”佩因特是明尼苏达大学的法学教授，在推特上写道。“罪犯”
在随后的推特上，佩因特认为接受筹款支持的共和党议员也应该面临刑事指控。
“参议员可以筹集自己的竞选资金。任何参议员在弹劾审判前接受“真实唐纳德·特朗普”的现金都是受贿，应该被送进监狱，”他发推特。
众议院周四将投票表决一项决议预计将通过民主党控制的机构，概述正式弹劾调查规则。该决议将允许公开听证和公开庭外取证笔录。这不是弹劾总统的投票，预计将在公开听证会后进行。就目前情况而言，大多数立法者和分析家认为总统将被国会下院正式弹劾。
之后，参议院将被要求进行调查，并对总统进行审判。由于上议院由共和党控制，特朗普被判有罪并被免职的可能性极小。总统的免职需要三分之二多数票，参议院由53名共和党人、45名民主党人和两名独立人士组成，他们与民主党人组成核心小组。
唐纳德·特朗普总统于3月26日在国会大厦与参议院共和党人一起参加每周政策午餐会后离开。
参议院共和党人没有一个公开声明特朗普的行为构成了可弹劾的行为，但一些人表达了严重的疑虑并提出了担忧。
南卡罗来纳州共和党参议员蒂姆·斯科特周三说:“有很多事情让我担心，小山据报告的。
“摆在桌面上的问题是弹劾，这是我们应该得到答案的问题，迄今为止的答案是‘我们弹劾总统是为了什么？’"他说。"答案是‘我看不出有什么原因。"
TRUMP IS COMMITTING 'FELONY BRIBERY' BY GIVING FUNDRAISING CASH TO GOP SENATORS AHEAD OF IMPEACHMENT TRIAL: EX-BUSH ETHICS LAWYER
Attorney Richard Painter, who served as the chief White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration, warned on Thursday that President Donald Trump appeared to be committing "felony bribery" by giving Republican senators fundraising cash ahead of an increasingly likely impeachment trial in the Senate.
The lawyer shared an article published by Politico on Thursday morning. Titled "Trump lures GOP senators on impeachment with cold cash," the article outlined how the president is turning to his large network of donors to raise funds for a few senators facing difficult re-election campaigns in 2020. All of those senators have also signed a resolution condemning the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry.
"This is a bribe. Any other American who offered cash to the jury before a trial would go to prison for felony bribery. But he can get away with it?" Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, wrote on Twitter. "Criminal."
In a follow-up tweet, Painter argued that GOP lawmakers who accept the fundraising support should face criminal charges as well.
"The senators can raise their own campaign cash. Any senator who accepts cash from @realDonaldTrump before the impeachment trial is guilty of accepting a bribe and should go to the slammer," he tweeted.
The House of Representatives on Thursday will vote on a resolution, which is expected to pass the Democrat-controlled body, to outline the formal impeachment inquiry rules. The resolution will allow for public hearings and the release of transcripts of closed-door depositions. This is not a vote to impeach the president, which is expected to come later after the public hearings. As things stand now, most lawmakers and analysts believe the president will be formally impeached by Congress' lower chamber.
After that, the Senate will be required to take up the inquiry and carry out a trial for the president. As the upper chamber is Republican controlled, it is considered highly unlikely that Trump will be found guilty and removed from office. The president's removal requires a two-thirds majority vote, and the Senate is made up of 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and two independents, who caucus with the Democrats.
President Donald Trump leaves after joining Senate Republicans for their weekly policy luncheon at the Capitol on March 26.
None of the Senate Republicans have publicly stated that Trump's actions have amounted to impeachable behavior, but several have expressed serious misgivings and raised concerns.
"There's lot of things that concern me," GOP Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina said Wednesday, The Hill reported.
"The question on the table is impeachment, and that's the question we should get an answer to, and the answer so far is 'For what would we impeach the president?'" he said. "And the answer is 'I don't see anything for that.'"
