Horn backs inquiry resolution

Cole opposes measure laying out parameters for public phase of investigation

U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn said Wednesday that she plans to vote for a resolution that sets out procedures for a public phase of the impeachment inquiry being conducted by the House into

President Donald Trump.

“A transparent, public process is a move out of the closed-door hearings that gives everybody the same rules,” Horn, a freshman Democrat from Oklahoma City, said in an interview.

“This is not saying I have made a determination (about impeachment) or not. But for me, it is about ensuring that our systems work.”

The House is expected to vote on a resolution on Thursday that Democrats say offers the president and Republicans fair rules and due process during the inquiry.

Republicans, who are in the minority in the House, have complained that the four House committees conducting the inquiry of the president have been doing so behind closed doors without minority party participation or opportunities for the White House to present its own evidence.

Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, the top Republican on the House Rules Committee, which debated the resolution on Wednesday, complained that Republicans were given no input into the resolution. He said the process laid out does not guarantee fairness.

“Without due process, without a fair process that respects minority rights, I do not believe the American people will regard this process as legitimate,” Cole said.

“A legitimate process is one that offers protections f or everyone involved. And without those protections, this will be seen as just another partisan exercise, one the majority has been pushing towards since the very first day (of the congressional session).”

Cole said there were collaborative processes used when f ormer Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton were impeached.

“The president was given the right to have counsel present and participating,” he said. “That preserved the rights of the minority, preserved the rights of the president and ensured that due process was the touchstone for the House.”

Horn said the investigations of Nixon and Clinton were done by special counsels, while the House in this case is conducting its own.

“And this re so lution clearly sets out the opportunity for both sides to participate — which they've had — but it lays it out so there is clarity that the majority and minority have opportunities to participate and review the evidence and give all of us a chance to see what's there,” Horn said.

“I believe it ensures transparency.”

The House, which is controlled by Democrats, is investigating whether Trump linked U.S. aid to Ukraine to that country's willingness to investigate the activities of the son of former Vice President Joe Biden. The former vice president is running for the Democratic presidential nomination and may be Trump's rival next year.

Horn is not a member of any of the committees investigating the administration. She said she would follow the investigation through committee transcripts and materials and news reports.

The other three U.S. House members from Oklahoma are Republicans and are expected to oppose the resolution.