House Judiciary Committee hears impeachment evidence
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The House Judiciary Committee heard the evidence behind the impeachment inquiry on Monday in a marathon nine-and-a-half hour hearing.
Why it matters: The committee is likely only days away from drafting formal articles of impeachment against President Trump — and this hearing was one of House Democrats' last chances to summarize their case against the president to the public.
The highlights:
- The hearing saw much more parliamentary wrangling than past impeachment hearings — as Judiciary Republicans have attempted to use House rules during breaks in testimony to delay and stymie the proceedings.
- The counsel for the House Intelligence Committee's Democrats, Daniel Goldman, laid out a lengthy, fact-based opening statement detailing why Trump should be impeached.
- The counsel for the House Intelligence Committee's Republicans, Steve Castor, faced a sharp line of questioning over the minority's impeachment report, which argues that Trump did nothing wrong regarding Ukraine, and its representation of witness testimony during the impeachment hearings.
- House Republicans, especially Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), argued that political donations to Democrats from Goldman and House Judiciary counsel Barry Berke undercut their testimony and cast it in a partisan light.
What's happening: Goldman presented the facts behind Intel Democrats' 300-page report, summarizing the committee's public and closed-door impeachment hearings on the Ukraine investigation.
- Judiciary has heard from its own counsel, led by Berke.
- The hearing has given Republicans an equal amount of time for their final public opportunity to rebut Democrats' case.
- The White House has refused to participate in this hearing, as well as the larger impeachment inquiry.
Watch:
- Top Judiciary Republican says Democrats are "making up impeachment" as they go
- Democrats' Judiciary counsel lays out the constitutional case for impeachment
- GOP counsel says Democrats are impeaching Trump because they disagree with him
- Democrats' Intel counsel summarizes the case for impeaching Trump in under 5 minutes
- Fox News' Chris Wallace: Trump allegations are "far broader than the Clinton impeachment"
- GOP's House Intel counsel grilled by Democrats over impeachment report
- GOP House Intel counsel argues Democrats failed to enforce impeachment subpoenas
Read:
- House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler's opening statement
- House Intel Democratic counsel Daniel Goldman's opening statement
- House Intel Republican counsel Steve Castor's opening statement
How it's playing: Fox News' Chris Wallace said Monday that the Ukraine-linked allegations against President Trump are "far broader than the Clinton impeachment," calling them "an issue of foreign policy, national security."
The bottom line: This hearing is largely just a formality, as there is almost no doubt that Judiciary's Democrats will quickly move toward drafting articles of impeachment.
- Axios' Alayna Treene reports that there are no other impeachment hearings scheduled for this week, per committee aides.
- The articles are expected to be marked up in the next few days — with a full committee vote by the end of the week.
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