What the Democrats must do

With a commitment to hold an impeachment vote by Christmas, House Democrats’ inquiry is proceeding swiftly: This week, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler launches hearings Wednesday (proceedings in which the White House rejected Nadler’s offer to participate). Separately, the Intelligence Committee is expected Tuesday to vote out its report from last month’s Ukraine hearings and refer that to Judiciary.

The Democrats’ toughest coming challenge: making a clean, clear, persuasive case in a stunningly partisan time during which the ground keeps shifting with ongoing revelations.

The simple argument is that over many months, President Trump directed his private lawyer and, it seems, withheld congressionally mandated military aid to pressure Ukraine into announcing a spurious investigation on an American citizen (and Trump political opponent).

That’s the easy part — much of it apparent in the July 25 call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

What to call it: “extortion” or the Constitution-mentioned “bribery”? We’d prefer “abuse of power.”

But wait, there’s more, as they say on TV. Since Intelligence Committee hearings concluded, we have learned that Trump was informed of the whistleblower complaint in mid-August, possibly going out of his way to proclaim “no quid pro quo” as an alibi. And that the White House crafted an after-the-fact justification to hold up the aid.

All of this suggests, yes, a coverup, which can be neatly articulated in an Article II called “obstruction.”.

Include in there too, the White House intransigence in keeping from House committees corroborating documents and essential witnesses.

For the Democrats, this is a test. For the republic, it’s much more than that.