The House Judiciary Committee announced Thursday the next step in its impeachment proceedings, with a notice for a Monday hearing coming shortly after Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s public approval for the committee moving towards drafting articles of impeachment against President Trump.
The hearing is an initial presentation of evidence. Such a presentation was outlined in the rules the committee promulgated earlier this year, when the House approved its impeachment procedures resolution.
According to the announcement, counsels from both the House Intelligence Committee and the Judiciary Committee will be making presentations to the Judiciary Committee at hearing that will start at 9 a.m. on Monday
The rules allow for both majority and minority counsel to make the presentations.
A Monday hearing sets the stage for the House to continue the quick pace of its impeachment inquiry. The full House could vote on articles of impeachment before it recesses for Christmas.
The Judiciary Committee rules also lay out how the President and his counsel could get involved. If they chose to do so, it could slow down the process, but depending on the degree of involvement the delay could be minimal, according to a person working on the inquiry.
But so far the White House has appeared uninterested in participating in the House proceedings, and instead seems focused on the Senate trial. But if Trump did want to attend or send representatives to the House Judiciary Committee proceedings, they’d be allowed to attend and ask questions during the initial presentation.
After these procedures, the House Judiciary Committee would then move on to the articles of impeachment themselves.
The resolution the House voted on says: “The Committee on the Judiciary shall report to the House of Representatives such resolutions, articles of impeachment, or other recommendations as it deems proper.”
Before reporting articles of impeachment to the House, the Judiciary Committee would hold a mark-up on those articles, as has been done in past impeachment proceedings.
