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.”
America Will Turn 250 in July as a Deeply Divided Country, But Our Spirit Remains Unbroken
Louisiana Passes Key Bill Letting Churches Protect Themselves from Leftist Protesters
The next frontier: Washington grapples with its latest space oddity
Soros-backed nonprofit accuses NJ Gov Sherrill of spreading ‘MAGA propaganda’ on ICE detainees
Taxpayer-funded ‘Meth Mansion’ under fire as crime concerns mount around homeless campus
Israeli soldier killed near Beaufort Castle, symbol of past occupation of Lebanon, as Trump demands ceasefire
Judge unseals DOJ fight with Fulton County over 2020 election worker information
Priceless Video: Living Wall of Riot Cops Opens, Pulls in Unsuspecting Anti-ICE Punk, Closes Like He Was Never There
Trump admin backs off controversial $2B fund, clearing path for stalled GOP immigration bill
Watch: MSNBC Shill Is Scared to Attend July 4 Parties but Was Somehow Fine When BLM Burned Down Minneapolis Behind Him
Teen athlete arrested, three horses pulled from competition after alleged overnight barn attack
Biden’s posh vacation enclave roiled as church axes July 4 tradition over ‘whiteness’ debate: ‘Spewing lies’
Judge denies Tyler Robinson secrecy request and orders hearing on prosecutors’ statements
Marine combat veteran bets big on Hispanic outreach in bid to flip Dem-held House seat
Video: Panicking Anti-ICE ‘Medic’ Is Almost in Tears Begging Rioters to Leave as NJ State Police Roll in the Big Guns
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.
America Will Turn 250 in July as a Deeply Divided Country, But Our Spirit Remains Unbroken
Louisiana Passes Key Bill Letting Churches Protect Themselves from Leftist Protesters
The next frontier: Washington grapples with its latest space oddity
Soros-backed nonprofit accuses NJ Gov Sherrill of spreading ‘MAGA propaganda’ on ICE detainees
Taxpayer-funded ‘Meth Mansion’ under fire as crime concerns mount around homeless campus
Israeli soldier killed near Beaufort Castle, symbol of past occupation of Lebanon, as Trump demands ceasefire
Judge unseals DOJ fight with Fulton County over 2020 election worker information
Priceless Video: Living Wall of Riot Cops Opens, Pulls in Unsuspecting Anti-ICE Punk, Closes Like He Was Never There
Trump admin backs off controversial $2B fund, clearing path for stalled GOP immigration bill
Watch: MSNBC Shill Is Scared to Attend July 4 Parties but Was Somehow Fine When BLM Burned Down Minneapolis Behind Him
Teen athlete arrested, three horses pulled from competition after alleged overnight barn attack
Biden’s posh vacation enclave roiled as church axes July 4 tradition over ‘whiteness’ debate: ‘Spewing lies’
Judge denies Tyler Robinson secrecy request and orders hearing on prosecutors’ statements
Marine combat veteran bets big on Hispanic outreach in bid to flip Dem-held House seat
Video: Panicking Anti-ICE ‘Medic’ Is Almost in Tears Begging Rioters to Leave as NJ State Police Roll in the Big Guns
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.
