Posted on 10/29/2019 10:39:19 AM PDT by Liz
House Democratic leaders are walking back a planned vote Thursday that would officially endorse impeachment proceedings and say that the resolution would merely address the process of holding public hearings on the matter.
“This is not an impeachment resolution,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters Tuesday morning. “I don’t know what an impeachment resolution is.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Monday that the planned vote was “not an impeachment resolution.”
Earlier in the day, Pelosi announced the House would vote on a resolution that “affirms the ongoing, existing investigation,” and “establishes the procedure for hearings that are open to the American people, authorizes the disclosure of deposition transcripts, outlines procedures to transfer evidence to the Judiciary Committee as it considers potential articles of impeachment, and sets forth due process rights for the president and his Counsel.”
Pelosi characterized the vote as one that would put to rest accusations by President Trump and the GOP that the impeachment proceedings are not legitimate because they were not sanctioned by an official House vote.
“We are taking this step to eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump Administration may withhold documents, prevent witness testimony, disregard duly authorized subpoenas, or continue obstructing the House of Representative,” Pelosi said Monday.
But Democrats are suddenly wary of calling it an official vote to open an impeachment hearing and aren’t even promising a vote on Thursday.
Hoyer said the resolution “addresses moving from the investigatory phase to the hearing phase,” of the impeachment proceedings, entering the public phase. Hoyer, who controls the floor schedule, would not fully commit to holding the vote on Thursday. “We are going to have to consider whether or not it is ready to go on Thursday,” Hoyer said. The resolution will be drafted and advanced Wednesday by the House Rules Committee, whose Democrats operate as an essential arm of the speaker.
Hoyer described the resolution as one that would establish a process for ending the closed-door investigatory phase of the impeachment proceeding, which has so far involved depositions taken in a secure room in the basement of the U.S. Capitol.
The House Intelligence Committee has been running the proceedings since late September, and lawmakers from Foreign Affairs and Oversight and Government Reform have been invited to attend and ask questions. The resolution expected Thursday would “address the process,” of ending the closed-door depositions “into a phase when we have public hearings.”
Hoyer added, “That is what this is: No more, no less.” The resolution is expected to provide the Intelligence panel with sole authority to conduct the public hearings, which departs from precedent.
Past presidential impeachment hearings involving both judges and presidents have always been conducted by the House Judiciary Committee.
The resolution is expected to provide minority Republicans with an opportunity to call witnesses and for Trump to defend himself against Democrats who accuse him of abusing power and obstructing Congress.
Hoyer said he didn’t know when public hearings would begin.“We still want to do this expeditiously, but we are not bound by any time deadline, Hoyer said.
The court will have to decide if, without a voted on impeachment inquiry resolution, the house has any right to subpoena the constitutionally equal executive branch.
BOOM——nails it.
This is what is going to happen..in a few months Schiff will come out, say that President Trump is guilty as sin, but since its an election year he will let the voters decide..that way this whole impeachment BS hurts Trump and the Dems can say “See he lost fair and square”
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Correct.
That’s a big fat no!
Correct, but it wont work.
BKMK
Baloney! Don’t trust the Democrats. Deceit, lies, and treachery is all they know.
lack of fiscal responsibility has mad my own planning for the future copious at best.
how’s that for standing.
Maybe Trump should call a press conference and publicly declare that the demodopes got nothing... or they would openly vote for an impeachment resolution.
Yeah right, MARY.
Take another Xanax.
CALL YOUR DELEGATE NOW!!!! Tell them your opinion of this so called vote......from a tweet I read today this is how this so called vote was discripted and it is unacceptable....”Instead of having a House vote to authorize an impeachment investigation, with subsequent rights for the minority; they are having a House vote to affirm the ‘impeachment inquiry’ that does not include rights for the minority.”
It is amazing the protection you get from Satan after you’ve sell your soul. It is the only thing keeping Bill & Hill going.
How will Elijah Cummings and Katie Hill be voting?
This is what is going to happen..in a few months Schiff will come out, say that President Trump is guilty as sin, but since its an election year he will let the voters decide..that way this whole impeachment BS hurts Trump and the Dems can say “See he lost fair and square”
—
Correct.
—
Correct, but it wont work.
—
I meant to say that. Your analysis of their plan is correct, Sarah, but their plan will fail. Because (among other reasons) Trump is not a potted plant. He will speak up on this subject once or twice in the coming weeks and months. :)
...they are still looking for the crime.
..........yup...........
That theory might be plausible IF Schiff had any shred of credibility left with anyone who is not a hard-core Lefty.
Has been for years!
Typical Dems holding out until they get their palms greased.
But with the Dems holding only the House, there’s not a lot of grease to go around.
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