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Wednesday’s Judiciary Committee meeting to consider the articles of impeachment kicks off a two-day committee marathon to debate and vote on the articles of impeachment, which is expected to be long and contentious — and will give viewers a real window into the messy sausage-making process on Capitol Hill.
The committee’s meeting is an important, if not inevitable, step toward impeachment for House Democrats. The sessions on Wednesday and Thursday are sure to contain plenty of debate, theatrics and arguing over the procedure. But Democrats hold a 24-17 majority on the committee, meaning they can vote down any GOP attempt to change the impeachment articles, making Republicans’ only real weapon in the proceedings the ability to extend the debate indefinitely.
House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler said the President was being charged by Congress with using his office to “demand that a foreign government attack his political rivals” and obstructing the investigation into his conduct that was “complete, absolute, and without precedent in American history.”
“Taken together, the two articles charge President Trump with placing his private, political interests above our national security, above our free and fair elections, and above our ability to hold public officials accountable,” the New York Democrat said. “With a heavy heart but clear in my duty to our country, I support these articles of impeachment. I urge my colleagues to support them as well.”
Republicans shot back with blustery language of their own, denouncing their Democratic colleagues for racing to impeach the President.
“What’s the ‘big lie’? It’s the one Democrats have told the American people for the last three years,” said Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, the top Republican on the Judiciary panel. “The ‘big lie’ is that the ends justify the means. The ‘big lie’ is that a sham impeachment is OK because the threat is so great. The ‘big lie’ is that political expedience is honorable and justifiable. History has shown that to be untrue and dangerous.”
Wednesday’s meeting effectively amounts to a talk-a-thon: Every lawmaker on the committee will have the chance to give an opening statement to kick off the debate. Democrats and Republicans traded speeches — Democrats explaining why they were duty-bound to impeach Trump, and Republicans attacking them for a partisan impeachment less than a year before the presidential election.
On Thursday morning, the real legislative wheeling and dealing will begin: At the Judiciary Committee meeting, which begins at 9 a.m. ET, any member can offer any amendment he or she wants, and the committee has little choice but to consider it.
Democrats may not offer any. Republicans, on the other hand, are expected to flood the markup with numerous amendments. A member can decide to offer an amendment on the spot. All they have to do is take the text to the clerk, and the chairman will have to recognize the amendment.
For each amendment, every member has the right to speak for up to five minutes each, which means that Republicans can make the committee meeting — referred to around Capitol Hill as a markup — go as long as they want to on Thursday.
But what could end the session by 7 p.m. ET Thursday: the congressional ball at the White House, according to multiple sources, since a number of members — particularly Republicans — are expected to attend.
Collins wouldn’t say how many amendments Republicans would offer. But he suggested they would use the session to mount a defense of the President and “present the facts and evidence that the other side is not permitting.”
Once the amendments have all been considered, the committee will vote to approve the articles of impeachment, sending them to the House floor, where they will likely get a vote next week.
This story has been updated with additional developments Wednesday.
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