White House Slams House Democrats' Impeachment Resolution

Legislation introduced to authorize the next phase of the inquiry
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 29, 2019 5:34 PM CDT
House Democrats Unveil Impeachment Resolution Text
The text of a House resolution released by the Democrats that authorizes the next phase of the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump is photographed in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019.   (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

House Democrats unveiled legislation Tuesday authorizing the next phase of the impeachment inquiry against President Trump as Democrats move to nullify complaints from Trump and his Republican allies, the AP reports. An eight-page resolution calls for open hearings and requires the House Intelligence Committee to submit a report outlining its findings and recommendations, with a final recommendation on impeachment left to the Judiciary Committee. Republicans would be allowed to request subpoenas, but such requests would ultimately be subject to a vote by the full committee, which Democrats control as the House majority. Democratic Rep. James McGovern of Massachusetts, the chairman of the House Rules Committee, said the resolution provides "a clear path forward" as the House begins a public phase of the impeachment inquiry, which up to this point has largely consisted of closed-door interviews.

The House is expected to vote on the resolution Thursday amid complaints from Trump and his Republicans allies that the monthlong impeachment process is illegitimate and unfair. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said the resolution merely "confirms that House Democrats' impeachment has been an illegitimate sham from the start as it lacked any proper authorization by a House vote." The resolution "does nothing to change the fundamental fact that House Democrats refuse to provide basic due process rights to the administration," she said, adding that the White House is barred from participating at all until after the intelligence panel "conducts two rounds of one-sided hearings to generate a biased report for the Judiciary Committee." Even then, rules for White House participation remain unclear, Grisham said. (See more GOP responses to the resolution here.)

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