The House Judiciary Committee will be working overtime this weekend as it prepares for its second hearing in the formal impeachment inquiry. But this time, the committee will be receiving evidence to likely to begin the next phase of the investigating: drafting articles of impeachment.
Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.), who sits on the committee, said they could be drafting the articles as early as next week. Nevertheless, the thought of scripting a timeline may be too ambitious, she says.
"We don't want to put a timeline because things change so quickly," Mucarsel-Powell told Cheddar. "We are still receiving evidence, we're reviewing that evidence, but hopefully we will have a sense by December 20th."
During Monday's hearing, the Judiciary Committee will receive presentations of evidence from the Intelligence Committee.
"The evidence that we have received that's been very damning for the president has been abuse of power," Mucarsel-Powell said, referring to one of the articles being discussed. "I do believe that we'll be talking specifically about abuse of power."
Nevertheless, Mucarsel-Powell said she is "unsure" if other articles, like obstruction of justice and obstruction of Congress, will be drafted.
"We have seen him use the presidency, the office of the presidency, to put pressure on a foreign government, for his own private and political gain," she said, referring to President Trump's now-infamous phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "And that's very dangerous for our national security. It also threatens the integrity of our elections."
On Thursday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced that the House would begin the process of drafting the articles, her biggest step forward in the inquiry since explaining the House would open an investigation at the end of September.
Earlier in the day. President Trump urged House Democrats to move "fast" if they decide to impeach him, "so we can have a fair trial in the Senate, and so that our Country can get back to business."
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham echoed that message writing: "We look forward to a fair trial in the Senate."
And while the GOP strategy has been to criticize Democrats for focusing on impeachment, like President Trump who calls them the "Do-Nothing Democrats", Mucarsel-Powell explained that the Caucus has little recourse but to move forward.
"We have been left with absolutely no other choice but to deal with the impeachment of a sitting president that would do anything to hold on to the power of his office for his re-election," she said.
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