House Judiciary Committee announces its first Trump impeachment inquiry hearing
- by Lorene Schwartz
- in People
- — Nov 27, 2019
The House Judiciary Committee has invited President Donald Trump to participate in a hearing next week on the constitutional justification for impeachment.
"Which will be very important because they've already received subpoenas to appear in Adam Schiff's basement on Thursday", he joked, referring to the House of Representatives intelligence committee chairman who has led the inquiry into whether Trump should be impeached for pressing Ukraine to investigate a political rival of his.
If Congress resumes next week, Schiff is expected to send the report to the House Judiciary Committee, where Chairman Jerrold Nadler will shortly launch hearings against which Trump is to be charged.
House Budget Committee Democrats said the Trump administration abused its own rules in withholding USA security aid to Ukraine and may have violated a law on spending money appropriated by Congress.
"The Committee looks forward to your participation in the impeachment inquiry as the Committee fulfills its constitutional duties", Nadler said.
Nadler requested that Trump RSVP by 6 p.m. December 1.
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But House investigators have yet to hear from some key witnesses from Trump's inner circle, like Rudy Giuliani, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former National Security Adviser John Bolton-although each of these officials would likely be blocked from testifying by the White House.
During the same interview, the congresswoman said that based on the interviews and documents she has seen, there is "significant evidence" to impeach.
As UNIAN reported earlier, a scandal erupted between the White House and Congress in the US following media reports that a whistleblower tipped the inspector general on President Donald Trump "promised" something to a foreign leader, while being guided by his own political interests.
Last week, the president blasted the impeachment inquiry altogether, and said: "Frankly, I want a [Senate] trial". There is a debate underway about whether to include the episodes detailed in special counsel Robert Muller's report within an article of obstruction of justice.
The Judiciary Committee will then debate and vote on articles of impeachment after committee hearings, paving the way for a vote by the full House of Representatives if the committee approves the articles.
"We are open to the possibility that further evidence will come to light", Schiff said. While some Democrats wanted Lamb to be more zealous about impeachment, she said, "His version of reluctance was actually waiting a day to actually read the transcript" detailing a call this summer between Trump and the leader of Ukraine.
