Impeachment on the front burner?
by digby
I’m not sure what the thinking is behind doing this other than the fact it gives them more flexibility for the committee and possibly the courts. I keep hoping that there’s some grand strategy to roll all this out for the public but … I doubt it. Nonetheless, it’s good that they are doing something so I’m not going to be too critical. But they need to speed this up:
The House Judiciary Committee is prepared to vote next week on a resolution laying out the procedures for its investigation now that it is actively considering moving to impeach President Donald Trump, a major step toward formalizing its sweeping probe, according to multiple sources familiar with the effort.
The vote, which is expected to occur on Wednesday, will lay out the ground rules for conducting hearings now that the committee has publicly announced it is considering recommending articles of impeachment against Trump. It is expected to follow the precedent set in 1974 over the committee’s procedures during then-President Richard Nixon’s impeachment proceedings.
Sources told CNN on Friday that the resolution is expected to spell out that Chairman Jerry Nadler, a New York Democrat, has the authority to call hearings at either the full committee or subcommittee level in connection with its impeachment deliberations.The resolution, sources say, is expected to make clear that future House Judiciary hearings can be conducted in ways different from most congressional hearings since the panel is considering impeachment. For instance, the resolution is expected to authorize committee staff counsels to question witnesses, something that is typically not done at congressional hearings.
The resolution also will spell out how secret grand jury information can be reviewed in classified sessions. And it will say that the President’s counsel can respond in writing to the committee.
The exact legislative language is still being drafted and could be introduced as soon as Monday. The committee Democrats discussed the matter on a Friday conference call, which Politico first reported. CNN is first reporting new details on the resolution.
These new procedures could be on display in mid-September, when former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is scheduled to testify, along with two former White House aides — Rob Porter and Rick Dearborn — who have all been subpoenaed by the panel to testify over allegations of obstruction of justice.
The news comes as Democrats are broadening their impeachment probe to focus on a range of matters, including potential violations of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution and reports that the President dangled pardons to officials if they broke the law to carry out his immigration policies.
ICYWW: The 134 House Democrats calling for an impeachment inquiry into Trump