Impeachment – Phase Two
The impeachment inquiry is set to move beyond closed door depositions of witnesses to the President’s impeachable conduct to a series of public hearings and committee votes leading up to a decision on the President’s impeachment. https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20191028/BILLS-116-HRes660.pdf The vote on the House resolution is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday, October 31).
The procedures outlined are: 1) a continuation of the existing investigations, 2) public hearings by the Intelligence Committee, 3) a report of the Intelligence Committee’s findings to the Judiciary Committee, 4) public hearings in the Judiciary Committee, 5) a Judiciary Committee vote on whether to proceed with a Bill of Particulars for the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump and 6) a referral to the full House for Impeachment proceedings.
The majority and minority have equal time to question witnesses. The minority can subpoena witnesses for testimony with consent of the chair or a vote of the Committee in question. The minority asserts they should have the right to summon witnesses without regard to the views of the Chair or the will of the full Committee.
The fact sheet accompanying the resolution specifies that the Judiciary Committee shall establish the parameters for the President’s participation in the proceedings, including the rights of the President’s counsel to be present at all Committee proceedings and to participate in the questioning of witnesses, to object to witness testimony, to call and question their own witnesses and otherwise present their case. The President’s allies say these rights should be spelled out in the resolution. The best speculation is that the proceedings will be completed in the House by the early part of next year. It’s way too early, but it looks like a pretty open and shut case of abuse of the Presidential authority; the framers were very clear that involving foreign governments against your opponents in domestic elections was a Constitutional red line; US election laws reiterate it, and there is no question whatsoever the President knew about the law in light of the proceedings detailed in the Mueller report and very flagrantly violated it in this case.
Prepared by: Lucien Wulsin
Dated: 10/30/19