Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Wednesday slammed the House Democrats’ impeachment proceedings resolution, stating it “falls way short” and effectively elevates House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) to a “de facto special prosecutor.”
McConnell on Pelosi's impeachment resolution: "It falls way short, way short…Instead of setting a high bar House Democrats seem determined to set a new low."
Accuses Pelosi of endorsing a "bizarre" process that treats Schiff "as if he were a defacto special prosecutor"
— Lindsay Wise (@lindsaywise) October 30, 2019
House Democrats on Tuesday released the text of a resolution they plan to vote on later this week to formalize impeachment inquiry procedures for President Trump. The resolution establishes procedures for open hearings, authorizes the release of deposition transcripts, and outlines how the intelligence community can transfer evidence to the House judiciary committee
It directs “certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its constitutional power to impeach Donald John Trump, president of the United States of America, and for other purposes,” the document reads.
The document gives Schiff the lead role in the investigation, giving him power to organize the questioning of witnesses. The committee will take over the probe, which until now has been handled by three committees, including intelligence, foreign affairs, and oversight and reform.
The resolution also gives House Republicans the power to request their own documents and testimony.
The document will go to the House Rules Committee for markup before the Thursday vote.
As Breitbart News’ senior editor Joel Pollak writes, the measure’s proposed rules raise red flags about the probe’s fairness:
1. The resolution gives authority to the House Intelligence Committee that it has never had before.
2. The resolution does not provide the minority with equal subpoena power, as in the past.
3. The resolution waters down minority powers over the release of Intelligence transcripts.
4. The resolution does not compel the release of past testimony.
5. The resolution restricts the president’s right to be represented.
Following the text’s release, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham issued a statement unloading on House Democrats, branding their impeachment probe a “sham.”
“The White House is barred from participating at all, until after Chairman Schiff conducts two rounds of one-sided hearings to generate a biased report for the judiciary committee. Even then, the White House’s rights remain undefined, unclear and uncertain — because those rules still haven’t been written,” Grisham said.
The UPI contributed to this report.
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