The impeachment inquiry resolution put forth by House Democrats includes a “loophole” that would give the majority party, or Democrats, on the Judiciary Committee the power to reject witnesses requested by the White House, Roll Call reports.
Democrats released the text of the inquiry resolution on Tuesday, which Republicans say does little to nothing to address their concerns moving forward.
According to Roll Call, a provision in the resolution gives Democrats the ability to block key witnesses requested by the White House as the process moves to the House Judiciary Committee, led by chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY).
Per Roll Call:
Under the House Judiciary procedures, Trump and his counsel will be invited to attend all panel proceedings and ask questions. They can also request additional evidence or witness testimony, but the “committee shall determine whether the suggested evidence is necessary or desirable.”
A look back at the biggest presidential Thanksgiving scandals, surprises
Erika Kirk Shares First Thanksgiving Message Since Her Husband’s Passing
Political turkeys of 2025: Blunders of 2025 that will never be pardoned by the public
USA Today’s Spin on National Guard Shooting Shows Why Legacy Outlets Are Dying
Where the Trump admin’s court fight over National Guard in DC stands in wake of shooting
House Republican Calls for Full Pause on ALL Immigration After D.C. Attack: ‘Deport Every Non-Citizen’
NYC Council is Considering a Massive Pay Bump For Mamdani Before He Even Takes Office
Slotkin goes silent when pressed on past Trump guard ‘shooting’ claims after DC attack
In-store Black Friday crowds underwhelm as online shopping surges
Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: School grapples with ‘whiteness,’ OnlyFans lecture, Thanksgiving turmoil
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Anna Kepner’s mystery, Alex Murdaugh’s stage, Martha Moxley’s case runs cold
National Guard shooting suspect charged with murder: What to know
Amy Klobuchar Ratioed After Trying to Pin High Prices on Trump – Her Graph Shows Biden’s Entire Term Instead
Family, service, and a break from the ‘s— show’: Lawmakers share what they’re grateful for this Thanksgiving
An Important Question We Don’t Ask Often Enough: As an American Why Should I Care What Any Foreign Power or People Think?
In other words, the provision gives Nadler and fellow Democrats on the committee power to reject White House witnesses as a form of retribution.
“While those due process rights generally align with ones afforded in the previous two presidential impeachments, they provide a big caveat that allows Democrats to strip Trump’s rights away as easily as they gave them to him,” Roll Call explains, adding that the provision applies “to Trump’s stonewalling of any ongoing probes in the Intelligence, Oversight, Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, Financial Services and Ways and Means committees.”
Roll Call explains:
The provision gives Nadler broad discretion to punish Trump for stonewalling any aspect of Democrats’ impeachment investigation, not just allegations Trump withheld U.S. military aid from Ukraine to pressure the country to investigate his political rivals that are the primary focus of the inquiry.
If Trump doesn’t turn over his tax returns to the Ways and Means Committee or his financial records to the Financial Services panel — requests he and his counsel are currently fighting in court — Nadler can use his discretion to deny him and his counsel access to the impeachment proceedings.
A look back at the biggest presidential Thanksgiving scandals, surprises
Erika Kirk Shares First Thanksgiving Message Since Her Husband’s Passing
Political turkeys of 2025: Blunders of 2025 that will never be pardoned by the public
USA Today’s Spin on National Guard Shooting Shows Why Legacy Outlets Are Dying
Where the Trump admin’s court fight over National Guard in DC stands in wake of shooting
House Republican Calls for Full Pause on ALL Immigration After D.C. Attack: ‘Deport Every Non-Citizen’
NYC Council is Considering a Massive Pay Bump For Mamdani Before He Even Takes Office
Slotkin goes silent when pressed on past Trump guard ‘shooting’ claims after DC attack
In-store Black Friday crowds underwhelm as online shopping surges
Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: School grapples with ‘whiteness,’ OnlyFans lecture, Thanksgiving turmoil
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Anna Kepner’s mystery, Alex Murdaugh’s stage, Martha Moxley’s case runs cold
National Guard shooting suspect charged with murder: What to know
Amy Klobuchar Ratioed After Trying to Pin High Prices on Trump – Her Graph Shows Biden’s Entire Term Instead
Family, service, and a break from the ‘s— show’: Lawmakers share what they’re grateful for this Thanksgiving
An Important Question We Don’t Ask Often Enough: As an American Why Should I Care What Any Foreign Power or People Think?
When Roll Call asked him about the provision, Nadler remained tight-lipped, describing it simply as a “precaution” and adding, “I hope we don’t need to use it.”
As Breitbart News reported, the impeachment resolution also stifles the minority party’s ability to call on the “whistleblower” to testify, giving House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA), who has been conducting impeachment depositions in a secret room in the Capitol Hill basement, unprecedented power:
In addition, while chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) can reject witnesses proposed by the Republican minority, the ranking member of the minority cannot challenge witnesses called by the chair. Though the minority can appeal the chair’s decision to a vote by the whole committee, the Democratic majority virtually guarantees that Schiff’s veto would be upheld.
The House approved of the rules for the impeachment probe Thursday morning, 232-196.
Story cited here.
