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Wednesday 30 OctOber 2019

phase of the impeachment ny is "necessary or desirable Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney,
inquiry, which up to this to a full and fair record in the No. 3 House Republi-
point has largely consisted the inquiry," the three-page can, said Democrats "have
of closed-door interviews. document says. basically cooked up a pro-
"This is a sad time for our The Judiciary language is cess they have been con-
country," McGovern said. expected to be incorporat- ducting in secret" with the
"None of us came to Con- ed into the larger resolution goal of preventing Trump's
gress to impeach a presi- before the House votes on lawyers from asking ques-
dent, but each of us took a impeachment proceed- tions of witnesses.
solemn oath to protect and ings Thursday. Democrats "are now at-
defend the Constitution." The impeachment inquiry tempting to sort of put a
"The president's Republi- is looking into Trump's July cloak of legitimacy around
can allies in Congress have 25 call with Ukrainian Presi- this process by saying
tried to hide the president's dent Volodymyr Zelenskiy they're going to bring it to a
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks with members conduct, but the American in which he asked for a vote on the floor," Cheney
of the media outside a secure area of the Capitol where Army people will now see the "favor" — to investigate a said. "They can't fix it. The
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a military officer at the National facts firsthand," he added. Democratic rival for presi- process is broken. It's taint-
Security Council, arrived for a closed door meeting to testify as White House press secre- dent. Democrats say the ed."
part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald
Trump, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019, in Washington. tary Stephanie Grisham request and other actions Democrats insisted they
Associated Press said the resolution merely by the administration to were not yielding to Re-
"confirms that House Dem- push Ukraine to investi- publican pressure and dis-
Continued from Front ity. ocrats' impeachment has gate former Vice President missed a GOP argument
Republicans would be al- Democratic Rep. James been an illegitimate sham Joe Biden and his family that impeachment can't
lowed to request subpoe- McGovern of Massachu- from the start as it lacked amounted to a quid pro begin without a formal
nas, but such requests setts, the chairman of the any proper authorization quo for important military House vote.
would ultimately be subject House Rules Committee, by a House vote." aid for Ukraine, providing Schiff and other Democrats
to a vote by the full com- said the resolution provides The resolution "does noth- sufficient grounds for im- defended the process and
mittee, which Democrats "a clear path forward" as ing to change the funda- peachment. said the American people
control as the House major- the House begins a public mental fact that House The House is expected to will soon hear from witness-
Democrats refuse to pro- vote on the resolution Thurs- es in an open setting, with
vide basic due process day amid complaints from transcripts of depositions
rights to the administration," Trump and his Republicans already conducted set for
she said, adding that the allies that the monthlong public release.
White House is barred from impeachment process is il- "The evidence we have al-
participating at all until af- legitimate and unfair. ready collected paints the
ter the intelligence panel Minority Whip Steve Scal- picture of a president who
"conducts two rounds of ise of Louisiana, the No. abused his power by us-
one-sided hearings to gen- 2 House Republican, de- ing multiple levers of gov-
erate a biased report for nounced what he called a ernment to press a foreign
the Judiciary Committee." "Soviet-style impeachment country to interfere in the
Separate language cover- process" led by House Intel- 2020 election," Schiff and
ing Judiciary proceedings ligence Committee Chair- three other committee
allows for Trump and his man Adam Schiff, D-Calif. chairs said in a statement
lawyers to attend all Ju- More than 75% of House Tuesday.
diciary presentations and members have been un- Following in the footsteps
hearings. Trump's lawyers able to view what is hap- of previous impeachment
will be allowed to question pening in closed-door de- inquiries, the next phase
any witness, according to positions conducted by the will move from closed de-
a copy of the proposed Intelligence panel and two positions to open hear-
Judiciary proceedings ob- other committees, Scalise ings, "where the American
tained by The Associated said. "That represents more people will learn firsthand
Press. The president can than 230 million Americans about the president's mis-
call witnesses if the com- whose voices are denied conduct," the Democrats
mittee agrees the testimo- right now," he said. said.q