U.S. House Democrats unveil proposal on impeachment inquiry next steps
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[October 30, 2019]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in
the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday unveiled a measure formally
laying out next steps in their impeachment inquiry of President Donald
Trump, which authorizes public committee hearings and the public release
of transcripts of closed-door depositions.
The proposal was previewed on Monday by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It
could be voted upon by the full House, which is controlled by Democrats,
as soon as this week.
Even before the measure was unveiled, House Republican leaders said they
would oppose it in protest of the closed-door proceedings by House
panels over the past few weeks. But Democratic leaders expected it would
pass; all but a handful of Democrats already have voiced support for the
impeachment inquiry.
Under the proposal, the Intelligence Committee is authorized to have
public hearings on its Ukraine investigation. The committee and other
panels investigating Trump would forward their findings to the House
Judiciary Committee, which could also conduct hearings before making
decisions about filing any articles of impeachment.
Republicans would be allowed to subpoena witnesses and materials for the
Intelligence Committee's review. But the Democratic-majority committee
would have the final say on whether those subpoenas would be issued.
Once the matter is with the Judiciary Committee, Trump and his lawyers
would be allowed to participate in any Judiciary Committee impeachment
proceedings, according to a Democratic fact sheet. They could cross
examine witnesses, present their case and respond to evidence gathered
and raise objections to testimony given, the fact sheet said.
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U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) addresses the audience during
the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) 2019 Women's Leadership
Forum in Washington, U.S. October 17, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
The text of the measure states that the Judiciary Committee "shall
report to the House of Representatives such resolutions, articles of
impeachment or other recommendations as it deems proper."
Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger, who flipped a
Republican district in Virginia last year, said she had no qualms
about taking a vote. "We’ve been clearly in an impeachment inquiry
and laying out the plan for the next step I think is a helpful thing
to do to help the American people understand the parameters of the
public hearings."
But another Democrat from a district that Trump won in 2016,
Representative Jeff Van Drew, said he expected to vote no on the
resolution. Van Drew says he does not oppose investigations of the
president, but thinks lawmakers are spending too much time on an
impeachment inquiry when there is little hope that the president
would be convicted by the Republican-run Senate.
"He won't be convicted, and then he will believe that he's been
exonerated," Van Drew told reporters.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell; Editing by Leslie
Adler and Marguerita Choy)
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