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Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler announced the House Judiciary Committee will consider procedures on Thursday for future hearings related to its investigation to determine whether to recommend articles of impeachment with respect to President Donald Trump. Additionally, Chairman Nadler announced the Committee will hold a hearing on September 17th with Corey Lewandowski, President Trump’s former campaign manager. Trump asked Lewandowski twice to deliver a message to former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to limit the Mueller investigation, making Lewandowski a critical witness to presidential obstruction of justice. The Committee subpoenaed Rob Porter and Rick Dearborn, who also witnessed President Trump’s repeated obstruction, for the same hearing.
The new procedures provide that:
- Chairman Nadler will be able to designate full or subcommittee hearings as part of the investigation to determine whether to recommend articles of impeachment.
- Committee counsel may question witnesses for an additional hour beyond the 5 minutes allotted to each Member of Congress on the Committee. The hour will be equally divided between the majority and the minority; thirty minutes for each side.
- Evidence may be received in closed executive session. This allows the Committee to protect the confidentiality of sensitive materials when necessary, such as with grand jury materials.
- The President’s counsel may respond in writing to evidence and testimony presented to the Committee.
Chairman Nadler released the following statement:
“President Trump went to great lengths to obstruct Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation, including the President’s attempts to remove the Special Counsel and encourage witnesses to lie and to destroy or conceal evidence. Anyone else who did this would face federal criminal prosecution.
“The Mueller report resulted in 37 criminal indictments, 7 guilty pleas, and revealed 10 possible instances where President Trump obstructed justice. At least five of which we now know to be clearly criminal. Trump’s crimes and corruption extend beyond what is detailed in the Mueller report. The President is in violation of the emoluments clauses of the Constitution as he works to enrich himself, putting the safety and security of our Nation at risk. He has dangled pardons, been involved in campaign finance violations and stonewalled Congress across the board, noting that he will defy all subpoenas.
“No one is above the law. The unprecedented corruption, coverup, and crimes by the President are under investigation by the Committee as we determine whether to recommend articles of impeachment or other Article 1 remedies. The adoption of these additional procedures is the next step in that process and will help ensure our impeachment hearings are informative to Congress and the public, while providing the President with the ability to respond to evidence presented against him. We will not allow Trump’s continued obstruction to stop us from delivering the truth to the American people.”
Full text of the procedures resolution is available here.
Background:
Since March 2019, the Committee has issued multiple information requests related to its investigation into obstruction of justice, public corruption, and other abuses of power by the President.
Chairman Nadler has made the fact of the Committee’s consideration of articles of impeachment clear beginning in May 2019 and continuing through the summer recess. The House also passed H. Res. 430 on June 11th confirming that the Committee has “any and all necessary authority under Article 1 of the Constitution.”
In July 2019, the Committee filed a petition in court seeking release of grand jury materials related to the Special Counsel’s Report. Shortly thereafter, the Committee filed a lawsuit seeking to enforce its subpoena for former White House Counsel Don McGahn, a key obstruction of justice witness.
In August 2019, the Committee issued subpoenas to Corey Lewandowski, Rick Dearborn, and Rob Porter. These witnesses were all involved in President Trump’s extensive efforts to obstruct the Special Counsel’s investigation.
In September 2019, the Committee issued subpoenas for documents relating to the President’s multiple attempts to offer pardons to Department of Homeland Security officials for potential violations of U.S. laws at his encouragement. The Committee has also requested information relating to the President’s solicitation of foreign and U.S. government business at his private properties—specifically the selection of his Doral resort for the next G7 Summit—in violation of the Constitution.
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