House Dems Introduce Bill to Formalize Impeachment Inquiry Process - Do You Support It?

by Countable's Trump Impeachment Coverage | 10.29.19

House Democrats on Tuesday introduced a resolution that would formalize procedures for the impeachment inquiry targeting President Donald Trump that’s expected to receive a vote on the House floor before the end of the week.

The resolution (H.Res. 660) was introduced by House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern (D-MA) and outlines a process for six House committees (Intelligence, Judiciary, Oversight, Foreign Affairs, Ways & Means, and Financial Services) to continue their impeachment inquiry. Some highlights of the resolution:

• The House Intelligence Committee is authorized to hold public hearings, call witnesses, issue subpoenas, and release deposition transcripts after any classified information is redacted. When it completes its inquiry, it will report its findings and recommendations to the Judiciary Committee.
• The House Judiciary Committee will conduct proceedings of its own and will be responsible for producing any recommendations, resolutions, or articles of impeachment it deems necessary after completing its probe and reviewing evidence from the Intelligence Committee and the other four committees.
• Minority members of the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees will be able to request witness testimony or the production of documents via subpoena, but will require the concurrence of the committee chairman. If the committee chairman disagrees, the minority can request a vote before the full committee.
• The Judiciary Committee will be responsible for creating procedures to allow the participation of the president and his legal counsel.

In a press release, McGovern said:

“This is a solemn time for our country. With our existing authority under the Constitution and the rules of the House, Congress has been investigating serious allegations involving President Trump and Ukraine. There is mounting evidence that the president abused his power and betrayed our national security while compromising the integrity of America’s elections. As committees continue to gather evidence and prepare to present their findings, I will be introducing a resolution to ensure transparency and provide a clear path forward, which the Rules Committee will mark up this week. This is the right thing to do for the institution and the American people.”

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) is encouraging GOP lawmakers to vote against what he called the “Continued Soviet-Style Impeachment Inquiry”. The Trump administration has refused to comply with subpoenas Democrats have issued related to the impeachment inquiry because of the lack of a formal vote. White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham released a statement following the introduction of the resolution:

"The resolution put forward by Speaker Pelosi confirms that House Democrats' impeachment has been an illegitimate sham from the start as it lacked any proper authorization by a House vote. It continues this scam by allowing Chairman Schiff, who repeatedly lies to the American people, to hold a new round of hearings, still without any due process for the President. The White House is barred from participating at all, until after Chairman Schiff conducts two rounds of one-sided hearings to generate a biased report for the Judiciary Committee. Even then, the White House's rights remain undefined, unclear, and uncertain - because those rules still haven't been written. This resolution does nothing to change the fundamental fact that House Democrats refuse to provide basic due process rights to the Administration."

What’s next for the resolution?

The House Rules Committee is expected to mark up the bill on Wednesday at 3:00pm EDT, in advance of a planned vote on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday.

Click the image below to read a summary of the resolution and cast your vote!

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr / Creative Commons)