Judiciary Committee Defines Scope Of Potential Trump Impeachment Proceedings

Some House Democrats are pushing a case for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, citing corruption and obstruction of justice.

Trump’s former Campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski is set to testify by tomorrow, becoming the first Trump ally to make a public appearance in Democrats’ investigation of possible obstruction by Trump.

Former White House officials Rob Porter and Rick Dearborn were also subpoened by the Judiciary testify with Lewandowski at a joint hearing. However, according to The Hill, Porter and Dearborn may be no-shows, because the White House has blocked both former officials from testifying publicly, saying that confidentiality protections prevent them from disclosing what took place during their time in the administration.

The three are cited in the Mueller Report as having ties to a potential incident of obstruction by Trump. The report as a whole disappointed some Democrats who hoped it would clearly detail charges of obstruction.

The report reads: “The evidence we obtained about the President’s actions and intent presents difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”

Recent reports of Trump’s personal finances intermixing with government expenditures has created a different path for pro-impeachment Democrats to explore allegations of corruption.

The U.S. Air Force launched a review about their hotel expenditures, after being criticized for staying in Trump’s Turnberry Resort in Scotland. The Turnberry resort reportedly lost $4.5 million in 2017 but saw revenue climb $3 million in 2018.

Trump was also under fire for suggesting that his Doral resort in Miami should host the annual G-7 summit. Politico reports that “such a decision could force foreign governments, as well as the U.S. government, to funnel money to Trump’s business empire to participate in international diplomacy, an apparent violation of the Emoluments clauses.”

The Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), has also launched a probe into Vice President Mike Pence‘s stay at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg, Ireland. Pence had made the trip to visit the Irish president, Michael Higgins in Dublin. Doonbeg is a 181 mile car ride away from Dublin.

In an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California) explained the varied opinions of House Democrats on the possibility of impeachment.

“There are some of our members who are ready to vote to impeach and remove the president tomorrow. And there are some who believe that we should not impeach him because it will be a failed exercise in the Senate,” said Schiff. “But the vast majority of our caucus, including our leadership, is of the view that we should do the investigation before we determine whether the president should be impeached. That’s the category that I fit in and that’s the work that we’re doing.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) has remained opposed to impeachment, arguing that the majority of Americans do not support the idea of impeachment.

“We are legislating, we’re investigating, and we are litigating. We are taking our information to court,” Pelosi told reporters on Monday. “[W]e are on the path of investigation, and that includes the possibility of legislation or impeachment.”

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