impeachment of President Clinton, these experts discussed the kinds of conduct that amounts to "high Crimes and Misdemeanors" under the Constitution and whether the President's conduct met that standard. [1] The Chairman and Ranking Member were allotted equal periods of extended time for questioning, along with Majority and Minority counsel. On December 7, 2019, the Committee Majority staff released its report on this topic, outlining the grounds for impeachment as contemplated by the Founders and addressing certain arguments raised by the President.See Constitutional Grounds for Impeachment (2019). The Minority staff published its own views as well, including the written testimony of its witness during the December 4 hearing.[2]
On December 9, 2019, in accordance with the "Impeachment Inquiry Procedures" promulgated pursuant to H. Res. 660, the Judiciary Committee conducted another public hearing to evaluate the evidence gathered by HPSCI.[3] Majority and Minority counsel for the Judiciary Committee presented opening statements, followed by presentations of the evidence from Majority and Minority counsel for HPSCI. The Chairman and Ranking Member were again allotted equal periods of extended time for questioning, with the ability to yield time for questioning by Majority and Minority counsels. The Majority counsel for HPSCI presented HPSCI's findings in detail and was subject to extensive questioning throughout the hearing's nine-hour duration. Minority counsel for HPSCI presented the Minority's views and was subject to questioning as well.
On December 10, 2019, Chairman Nadler introduced a resolution containing two articles of impeachment against President Trump for abuse of office and obstruction of Congress.[4] The Committee began debate the following evening and resumed debate throughout the day of December 12. On December 13, 2019, the Committee voted to report both articles of impeachment favorably to the House.
III.The House's Inquiry Was Fully Authorized by House Rules and Precedent
The House's conduct of its impeachment inquiry—through which Committees of the House began investigating facts prior to a formal vote by the House—was fully consistent with the Constitution, the Rules of the House, and House precedent. The House's autonomy to structure its own proceedings for an impeachment inquiry is rooted in two provisions of Article I of the Constitution. First, Article I vests the House with the "sole Power of Impeachment."[5] It contains no other requirements as to how the House must carry out that responsibility. Second, Article I further states
- ↑ Cf. Background and History of Impeachment: Hearing Before the Subcomm. on the Constitution, H. Comm. on the Judiciary, 105th Cong. (1998).
- ↑ See id. at 53 (Minority Views).
- ↑ The Impeachment Inquiry Into President Donald J. Trump: Presentations from H. Perm. Select Comm. on Intelligence and H. Comm. on the Judiciary, 116th Cong. (Dec. 9, 2019) (hereinafter "Presentation of Evidence Hearing (2019)").
- ↑ H. Res. 755, 116th Cong. (2019).
- ↑ U.S. Const. art I, § 2, cl. 5.
This ratio of one Minority witness for every three Majority witnesses is consistent with other hearings conducted in the Judiciary Committee and in other committees.
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