House To Vote To Formalize, Outline Impeachment Inquiry

An illustration of the U.S. Capitol
Annette Elizabeth Allen / NPR
An illustration of the U.S. Capitol
Annette Elizabeth Allen / NPR

House To Vote To Formalize, Outline Impeachment Inquiry

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The House of Representatives is set to debate and vote Thursday on a resolution formalizing its impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

House Democrats released a draft version of the resolution, which outlines the next steps of the inquiry, on Tuesday. The resolution authorizes the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee to conduct open hearings and allows the president and his attorneys to cross-examine witnesses.

Can’t see the video? Click here. Note: The House is debating and voting on matters other than the inquiry resolution.

The resolution also directs the House committees leading the inquiry to report their findings to the House Judiciary Committee, which will decide whether to recommend moving forward with articles of impeachment.

Witnesses continue to testify behind closed doors in the inquiry. On Wednesday, two State Department officials spoke with House investigatorsabout their work on U.S.-Ukraine issues and the role of Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani in Ukraine policy.

Lawmakers also heard this week from Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who testified about repeatedly raising concerns to his superiors about Trump’s demands that Ukraine investigate former Vice President Joe Bidenand his son Hunter.

Vindman also told lawmakers that he feared Ukraine complying with the president’s demands would lead to the loss of bipartisan support and would “undermine U.S. national security.”

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