Democrats Forced to Extend Impeachment Proceedings into Christmas Season

House Democrats’ effort to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump is taking longer than they expected, some news outlets reported this week.

Democrats are reportedly expected to delay a vote on articles of impeachment until after Thanksgiving, possibly into the Christmas season. Many of them hoped to impeach Trump by Thanksgiving, but they are unlikely to abide by that timeline.

On Monday, CNN acknowledged:

House Democrats are facing a time crunch to quickly wrap up their investigation into allegations President Donald Trump abused his office in pushing Ukraine to probe his political rivals, prompting growing expectations that votes on impeaching Trump could slip closer to the end of the year.

Some Democrats had hoped that a narrow probe — focused on whether Trump put on ice efforts to bolster relations with Ukraine and provide US military aid to the country until it carried through with a political favor — could conclude swiftly, with a potential vote to impeach Trump by Thanksgiving.

But that has proven to be more complicated than it initially seemed, according to multiple Democratic lawmakers and sources.

CNN listed several reasons for the delay, including having to chase down new leads and the rescheduling of several witnesses, adding:

Plus, there are several more time-consuming steps as part of the probe, potentially trying to bring in big names like former national security adviser John Bolton, then holding public hearings before a report they’re expected to write with recommendations — all before any votes in the House.

The New York Times also reported that Democrats are slowing down their impeachment timeline, noting:

House Democrats have resigned themselves to the likelihood that impeachment proceedings against President Trump will extend into the Christmas season, as they plan a series of public hearings intended to make the simplest and most devastating possible public case in favor of removing Mr. Trump.

…

After a complicated web of damaging revelations about the president has emerged from private depositions unfolding behind closed doors, Democratic leaders have now begun plotting a full-scale — and probably more time-consuming — effort to lay out their case in a set of high-profile public hearings on Capitol Hill.

Their goal is to convince the public — and if they can, more Republicans — that the president committed an impeachable offense when he demanded that Ukraine investigate his political rivals.

So far, House Democrats pursuing the impeachment probe have failed to hold any public hearings. They also refuse to release the transcripts of the witnesses’ testimony. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the leader of the impeachment probe, said he would hold public hearings and release the transcripts but would not say when.

Echoing the House impeachment lawyer, Schiff indicated that the impeachment probe might extend beyond Ukraine, a move that would render the proceedings more time-consuming.

On Tuesday, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) maintained that Democrats still hope to have the probe completed before Thanksgiving.

Story cited here.