House Lawyer Says Trump Could Be Impeached Second Time If New Facts Are Revealed

The Democratic House could begin a second impeachment against President Donald Trump for obstruction of justice. Trump, who the House charged last week with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, faces further potential charges for his misconduct.

A court filing Monday revealed that the House of Representatives is keen on discovering new evidence and crafting an additional Article of Impeachment against the President – obstruction of justice. White House counsel Doug Letter stated in a court filing, that a second impeachment is possible if the House can produce new evidence against the president. Letter’s argument for supplemental corroboration, which is related to Trump’s efforts to thwart investigations, came after the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeal’s inquiry into whether Democrats still need White House Counsel Don McGahan‘s testimony after successfully charging Trump last week.

The House of Representatives is waiting on McGahan’s testimony to assemble the evidence and develop the case. “If McGahn’s testimony produces new evidence supporting the conclusion that President Trump committed impeachable offenses that are not covered by the Articles approved by the House, the Committee will proceed accordingly — including, if necessary, by considering whether to recommend new articles of impeachment,” Letter wrote.

The federal court filing is the first impeachment-related document since the partisan vote to impeach Trump over allegations related to the Trump-Zelensky scandal, in which Trump attempted to manipulate the Ukrainian government into investigating fellow Democratic political rival, Joe Biden. 

The Judiciary Committee reported in a supplemental brief that the case was not moot, because McGahan, who bore witness to several of the president’s efforts to undermine foreign interference investigations, did not testify yet. These efforts, which include interfering with the Russian election probe, are directly related to the obstruction of Congress Article of Impeachment. 

McGahan’s testimony is crucial for the Senate trial, and is also relevant to the Committee’s on-going investigations into maladministration and whether or not to recommend new articles of impeachment. 

McGahan defied a subpoena Monday, under Trump’s direction, which ordered his Congressional testimonial presentation regarding special counsel Robert Mueller‘s Russian election probe. The Committee has reiterated the importance of McGahan’s testimony from the inception of the case – stating it is imperative to the consideration of legislation and oversight of the Executive Branch. 

The Judiciary Committee is attempting to determine whether Trump illegally obstructed Mueller’s Russia probe – an investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The charges, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, already bought against Trump zero in on the Trump-Zelensky scandal, and more specifically, Trump’s alleged effort to withhold Ukrainian military aid and inhibit resulting House inquiries. 

Department of Justice lawyers have stated the charges do not cover Trump’s other misconduct regarding the legal battle over McGahan. 

Article by Emily Bevacqua