Dems unveil impeachment procedures

WASHINGTON — House Democrats unveiled legislation Tuesday authorizing the next phase of the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump as Democrats move to nullify complaints from Trump and his Republican allies that the impeachment process is illegitimate and unfair.

An eight-page resolution calls for open hearings and requires the House Intelligence Committee to submit a report outlining its findings and recommendations, with a final recommendation on impeachment left to the Judiciary Committee.

Republicans would be allowed to request subpoenas, but such requests would ultimately be subject to a vote by the full committee, which Democrats control as the House majority.

Democratic Rep. James McGovern of Massachusetts, the chairman of the House Rules Committee, said the resolution provides “a clear path forward” as the House begins a public phase of the impeachment inquiry, which up to this point has largely consisted of closed-door interviews.

“This is a sad time for our country,” McGovern said. “None of us came to Congress to impeach a president, but each of us took a solemn oath to protect and defend the Constitution.”

“The president’s Republican allies in Congress have tried to hide the president’s conduct, but the American people will now see the facts firsthand,” he added.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said the resolution merely “confirms that House Democrats’ impeachment has been an illegitimate sham from the start as it lacked any proper authorization by a House vote.”

The resolution “does nothing to change the fundamental fact that House Democrats refuse to provide basic due process rights to the administration,” she said, adding that the White House is barred from participating at all until after the intelligence panel “conducts two rounds of one-sided hearings to generate a biased report for the Judiciary Committee.”

Separate language covering Judiciary proceedings allows for Trump and his lawyers to attend all Judiciary presentations and hearings. Trump’s lawyers will be allowed to question any witness, according to a copy of the proposed Judiciary proceedings obtained by The Associated Press. The president can call witnesses if the committee agrees the testimony is “necessary or desirable to a full and fair record in the inquiry,” the three-page document says.

The Judiciary language is expected to be incorporated into the larger resolution before the House votes on impeachment proceedings Thursday.