- Jerry Nadler invites Donald Trump and his lawyers to first Judiciary Committee hearing
- President’s attorneys will likely be permitted to question witnesses, unlike in the Intelligence Committee’s ‘impeachment inquiry’ hearings
- But Nadler warns that taking part is ‘not a right but a privilege,’ suggesting he can reverse course at any time
- Trump could face multiple articles of impeachment, and he would be the third U.S. president impeached, out of 45, if the Democrat-led House passes them
The House Judiciary Committee has scheduled its first formal impeachment hearing for December 4 and invited President Donald Trump and his lawyers to participate and question witnesses.
But committee chairman Jerry Nadler, a New York Democrat, warned that taking part in the proceedings is a ‘privilege’ that he can take away.
‘I remind you that participation by the President or his counsel has been described by the Committee in past inquiries as ‘not a right but a privilege or a courtesy which is being extended to the President’s counsel’,’ Nadler wrote in a letter to the White House.
‘I am hopeful that you and your counsel will opt to participate in the Committee’s hearing, consistent with the rules of decorum and with the solemn nature of the work before us.’
The beginning of proceedings in the Judiciary Committee signals that the Intelligence Committee, led by California Democrat Adam Schiff, is winding down its work.
The introductory Judiciary hearing is expected to focus on how to define a ‘high crime’ or ‘misdemeanor’ that can lead to impeachment of a U.S. president.
Nadler said Tuesday that it will ‘explore the framework put in place to respond to serious allegations of impeachable misconduct.’
Trump’s lawyers can make requests of Nadler to question witnesses. The president will likely not attend: He is scheduled to be in London attending a NATO leaders summit.
Just two past presidents, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, have been impeached in the House of Representatives; the U.S. Senate acquitted both in trials required by the U.S. Constitution.