House Democrats have drafted a resolution that they may vote on as soon as Thursday outlining the next steps of their impeachment inquiry.
The resolution lays out the procedures for public hearings in front of the House Intelligence Committee, which is currently leading with two other committees the questioning of witnesses behind the closed doors.
It gives House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) the authority to release transcripts from inquiry. The resolution also directs the House Intelligence Committee to assemble a report on its findings to be transmitted to the House Judiciary Committee. The report will also be released publicly with the appropriate redactions, under the resolution. The House Oversight Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee shall work with Intel on the report as well, under the resolution.
The resolution also gives Republicans opportunities to seek testimony or documents for the impeachment inquiry. Any move by Republicans to subpoena witnesses or testimony must have the concurrence of the House Intel chair, under the resolution. If Schiff refuses to concur with a GOP request, Republicans can refer the request to the committee for a vote, the resolution says.
Under the format for public hearings laid out by the resolution, Schiff is authorized to allow both Democratic and Republican committee staff to lead questioning in the public hearings, before shifting to the traditional five minute question periods for each committee member. The committee staff questioning period can take place in multiple rounds, with each round allotting up to 45 minutes for each side, according to the resolution.
The resolution additionally address how the impeachment inquiry will eventually be shifted to the House Judiciary Committee. It authorizes Judiciary to conduct hearings the way that’s outlined for the House Intelligence committee’s public proceedings, and gives Judiciary Republicans similar opportunities for presenting their own witness or documents. The resolution sanctions participation in the Judiciary Committee hearings by the President and his counsel.
It says that the Judiciary Committee is also authorized to promulgate additional procedures in accordance with the committee’s rules.
“The Committee on the Judiciary shall report to the House of Representatives such resolutions, articles of impeachment, or other recommendations as it deems proper,” the resolution says.
Read the resolution below:
