HOUSE INVITES TRUMP TO NEXT IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY HEARING

The House Judiciary Committee has invited US President Donald Trump to take part in the next hearing of the impeachment inquiry, in a session next Wednesday due to look at the legal basis for the investigation of the president.

Representative Jerry Nadler, an opposition Democrat and chairman of the committee, sent a letter to Trump inviting him and his lawyers to attend. There is no expectation that the president will show up and it is unclear if his lawyers would use the chance to question witnesses.

The White House has been stonewalling the impeachment inquiry as much as possible, in large part by claiming executive privilege.

The judiciary committee is expected to invite constitutional experts to the hearing, set to mirror a session of the committee held in 1998 at the onset of the impeachment of former president Bill Clinton, which laid out the legal framework for the case.

The Trump impeachment inquiry began in September, as Democrats alleged

The judiciary committee is expected to invite constitutional experts to the hearing, set to mirror a session of the committee held in 1998 at the onset of the impeachment of former president Bill Clinton, which laid out the legal framework for the case

the president abused the power of his office by pushing Ukraine to investigate his rival, Joe Biden. The saga also hinges on whether Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine as part of the pressure campaign.

Public hearings started this month and so far there have been five days of testimonies out in the open, mostly featuring diplomats and national security officials.

Trump says he has done nothing wrong. -WASHINGTON

(DPA), 27 NOV, 2019