Jerry Nadler Gives Trump Friday Deadline; Impeachment to Include Russia Collusion Breitbart, Nov 29, 2019
House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) wrote to President Donald Trump Friday, giving him until Friday, Dec. 6., to answer whether he and his lawyers would participate in the “impeachment inquiry.”
Nadler’s letter quotes the forthcoming report from the House Intelligence Committee, which will be written entirely by Democrats and which will recommend drafting articles of impeachment against the president. The report will state that there was “a months-long effort in which President Trump again sought foreign interference in our elections for his personal and political benefit at the expense of our national interest”; and that the president conducted “an unprecedented campaign of obstruction in an effort to prevent the Committees from obtaining documentary evidence and testimony.”
The word “again” suggests that the House Intelligence Committee will not limit its report to allegations that Trump invited Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election, but will also state that Trump sought Russian interference in the 2016 election — even though Special Counsel Robert Mueller found there to be no evidence of such collusion.
Nadler added that Trump is being investigated for obstruction of justice, relating to actions described by Mueller in the second volume of his report, though Mueller did not recommend prosecution and Attorney General William Barr rejected obstruction charges against Trump on the merits.
The White House cooperated fully with Mueller and never exerted executive privilege over any witnesses or documents. It has resisted participating in the House “impeachment inquiry,” which it regards as illegitimate.
Nadler has invited the president and his counsel to call and question witnesses, in accordance with the House resolution authorizing the impeachment inquiry last month — though the president was not allowed to do so in the Intelligence Committee inquiry. However, Nadler and the Democratic majority on the committee can overrule requests for witnesses.
QuoteDems give Trump deadline for asserting privilege in impeachment probe Washington Times, Nov 29, 2019
President Trump has until next Friday to make the House Judiciary Committee aware of whether his legal counsel will participate and assert privileges during the impeachment hearings, according to a letter sent to the commander in chief.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, New York Democrat, told Mr. Trump the committee must know if the president’s lawyers plan to cooperate or assert privileges no later than Dec. 6, as the committee continues to pursue the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
The two-page letter says the committee is looking at whether the president obstructed justice and sought political interference into the U.S. election for his personal benefit.
Mr. Nadler also sent a similar letter to the committee’s top Republican, Rep. Doug Collins, saying if the GOP minority on the panel would like to issue any subpoenas, they would need to be submitted to the chairman for approval by Dec. 6.
The letters come as the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is wrapping up a report on its hearings from earlier this month to send over to the Judiciary Committee, which will be tasked with continuing the impeachment inquiry in the coming weeks.