Latest Impeachment Investigation News: Trump Greeted By 'Lock Him Up' Chant In New York

Chants of “Lock him up” greeted President Trump as he spoke Monday at New York’s 100th annual Veterans’ Day parade.

Trump, accompanied by wife Melania, also was greeted by signs reading “impeach” and “convict” in the windows of buildings overlooking Madison Square Park in his second visit to New York since changing his legal residence to Florida.

Demonstrators chanting “Lock him up” were on the west side of the park on Fifth Avenue near the site of the 18-minute speech. They also shouted “shame” and ”traitor,” and blew whistles to disrupt the remarks.

Before the parade, Trump accused impeachment investigators of releasing doctored transcripts ahead of Wednesday’s start of the public portion of the inquiry and also complained that documents related to the inquiry haven’t been released.

None of the Republicans who participated in the closed-door questioning of witnesses has raised questions about the transcripts’ validity.

Trump has so far refused to cooperate with impeachment investigators, first demanding a vote on a formal impeachment inquiry, and once that vote was taken, characterizing the investigation as a “scam,” “hoax” and “witch hunt.” He has blocked administration officials from turning over documents subpoenaed by the three House committees exploring impeachment.

Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., pushed back on Trump’s accusation of doctored testimony.

Lieu noted impeachment is a grave power and “must always be our last option.” He said Trump has given House Democrats no choice but to proceed.

Trump also called for an end to the impeachment inquiry and for a fraud investigation of lead impeachment investigator, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and the whistleblower whose complaint triggered the inquiry.

The U.S. House on Monday opposed a request by acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney to join a lawsuit on whether an administration official can be forced to comply with a congressional subpoena after the White House ordered him not to.

The filing comes in the case of Charles Kupperman, who was a deputy to former national security adviser John Bolton. House lawyers argued Mulvaney cannot obtain a ruling on his own subpoena through another individual’s case. They also said the case is moot because the subpoena was withdrawn. Kupperman also opposed Mulvaney’s request in a separate filing.

Anthony Scaramucci, who served briefly as Trump’s director of communications, told CNN Monday Trump is acting like a traitor and characterized his request to Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden as a form of fascism.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., attempted to liken Trump’s withholding of military aid to Ukraine in exchange for an investigation into political rivals to Biden’s actions carrying out U.S. foreign policy during the Obama administration. Biden threatened to withhold military aid unless a prosecutor who was soft on corruption was removed from office.

Paul admitted he hasn’t read the transcripts of closed-door testimony taken by impeachment investigators, but “it seems like everybody, both parties, have been threatening aid, if some kind of investigation either doesn't happen or is ended.

“And so, I think, really, what's going to happen is people are going to say, ‘Oh, they're impeaching President Trump for exactly the same thing that Joe Biden did,’” Paul said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Public hearings begin Wednesday in the House impeachment inquiry with testimony from veteran diplomat Bill Taylor, who testified behind closed doors Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani pressed Ukraine to intervene in U.S. policy and politics. He said he urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to ignore the requests, even if that meant losing a promised Oval Office meeting.