Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to House Judiciary chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) on Saturday calling for the panel to add more witnesses to its first impeachment hearing.
“To ensure fairness and restore integrity to the ongoing impeachment process, I request an expanded panel and a balanced composition of academic witnesses to opine on the subject matter at issue during the hearing,” Collins wrote in his letter to Nadler.
Four academic experts, who haven’t been identified, are currently set to appear as witnesses during the House Judiciary’s first impeachment hearing on Wednesday.
“On December 4, the Committee will hear from only four academic witnesses during its consideration of the question of impeachment. This is less than a quarter of those called to testify during the Clinton impeachment,” Collins wrote. “In light of this, I request that you expand the number of witnesses called upon to testify on December 4 to give the American people a wider array of perspectives regarding impeachment.”
Collins also noted in his letter that during the 1998 impeachment inquiry against former President Bill Clinton, the House Judiciary assembled two panels consisting of ten and nine academics each.
Collins’ letter comes a day after Nadler sent Trump a letter informing him that he now has until Friday to decide whether White House legal counsel will participate in the committee’s upcoming impeachment proceedings.
Read Collins’ letter below:
As an academic, I am struck by this sudden respect for academic expertise. I mean, literally 1000s of academics have offered repeated advice on climate change, and the GOP response has been to stuff wax in their ears and to solicit no opinion.
How precious! A Republican member of the House calling for fairness! That’s world class chutzpah.
“The call is coming from inside the House!”
Diamond & silk, jaCob WahL, ChaRlie Kirk and mikE gAetz must testify AbouT impeaChment! A flaT earth Demands all Sides to be considered. Fairness!
“To ensure fairness and restore integrity to the ongoing impeachment process, I request an expanded panel and a balanced composition of academic witnesses to opine on the subject matter at issue during the hearing.”
Casting call for RWNJs