There is still a lot of fact-gathering to do. Anyone familiar with trial work knows that depositions and document review take time and the work is tedious – not something suitable for public hearings. That work will continue but tomorrow the House will vote on a resolution that will layout the next phase — hearings that will be public. Here’s the gist of the resolution:
It will introduce public hearings.
Representative Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, will be tasked with holding public hearings, in addition to the closed-door interviews and evidence-gathering he has led so far. This will make it possible for the public to see what the investigators have found.The public hearings could begin as early as the week of Nov. 11, and could feature some of the star witnesses of the investigation so far, including Ms. Yovanovitch and Mr. Taylor. They will be designed to eliminate the grandstanding of a traditional hearing: Instead of each member getting a brief turn to speak, the top Democrat and Republican — or staff lawyers — will question witnesses for extended blocks of time.
After that, the case will go to the Judiciary Committee.
The Intelligence Committee will produce a report on its findings and send it to the House Judiciary Committee, led by Representative Jerry Nadler, along with other evidence, including interview transcripts. The Judiciary Committee will have the power to seek additional materials, including hearing from witnesses.If Mr. Nadler and the committee deem the evidence sufficient, they will recommend formal articles of impeachment for the House to vote on.
Republicans will have expanded powers.
The top Republicans on the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees — Representatives Devin Nunes and Doug Collins — will have the power to propose subpoenas for witnesses or documents. Mr. Trump’s legal team will also be able to cross-examine witnesses and present a formal defense of him.But there’s a catch. If Mr. Schiff or Mr. Nadler object to the subpoenas Republicans want to issue, the full committee will vote, giving Democrats the ability to quash them. And the rules go even further: If the president stops witnesses from appearing, Mr. Nadler would have the power to stop the cross-examinations by Mr. Trump’s lawyers.
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