House To Vote On Impeachment Resolution This Week; Move Would Thwart GOP Criticism

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday scheduled a vote formalizing the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, a move designed to obviate Republican charges the ongoing investigation is illegitimate.

A vote could be taken as early as Thursday on a resolution directing several committees to continue their efforts to determine whether “sufficient grounds exist … to impeach Donald John Trump.” The resolution sets up rules and procedures for the next stage of the inquiry. Public hearings could begin as early as mid-November.

“For weeks, the president, his counsel in the White House, and his allies in Congress have made the baseless claim that the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry ‘lacks the necessary authorization for a valid impeachment proceeding.’ They argue that, because the House has not taken a vote, they may simply pretend the impeachment inquiry does not exist,” Pelosi said in a letter to colleagues.

She continued: “This week, we will bring a resolution to the Floor that affirms the ongoing, existing investigation that is currently being conducted by our committees as part of this impeachment inquiry, including all requests for documents, subpoenas for records and testimony, and any other investigative steps previously taken or to be taken as part of this investigation.”

She concluded: “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 Representatives. Nobody is above the law.”

About two dozen Republican lawmakers stormed the secure area where impeachment investigators were deposing witnesses last week, demanding to be allowed in to observe the proceedings, and denouncing the process. None of those demanding entrée were members of the committees conducting the investigation. Republicans sitting on those committees already were party to the depositions.

Both Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have been encouraging Republicans to ramp up criticism of the process. Trump has said he wouldn’t cooperate with any investigation unless a vote is taken and has used that position to keep documents away from investigators and blocked administration officials from testifying.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee unveiled a resolution last week condemning the House impeachment inquiry.