The House of Representatives voted last week to have formal impeachment procedures passing resolution 660. While Adam Schiff, chair of the House intelligence committee is continuing to hold secret meetings in what has been described as the basement of the capitol building. These meetings are conducted as though they are grand jury hearings, despite the fact they are not. Minority members during these meetings are not allowed to question witnesses despite posing pertinent questioning, nor is the president's legal counsel allow to attend. There has been no live testimony and despite the democrats claiming transparency and fair, these clandestine meetings have been nothing resembling a transparent or fair process.
According to Jay Sekulow, president's legal counsel and chief counsel of ACLJ, "you can not retroactively grant due process." Meaning, any hearing conducted in secret where the president or his counsel were not present the president was denied his representation. It can not be granted as an afterthought.
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House has claimed "her party’s decision to hold public impeachment hearings in the coming weeks; telling reporters the inquiry will likely be televised in November.” However, it was pointed out that there were be no lawyers for the President or no white house counsel. there will be no counsel at the intelligence meetings or live testimony.
From Jay Sekulow at the ACLJ:
"Phase one is the Intelligence Committee investigation which is done in secret as if it were a Grand Jury investigation except that it’s not. No lawyers are allowed to participate from the President or agency lawyers. No cross-examination of witnesses is allowed because no lawyers are in there."
Phase two "as described in the resolution will be live testimony before the House Intel Committee. Again, there will be no lawyers from the President, White House Counsel or private."
Phase three "will be a proceeding before the Judiciary Committee where there will be an allowance of counsel at the Chair’s discretion. Basically, what that means is if you invoke your right to constitutional privilege, the Chair may revoke your right to participate." Meaning should the White House exert their constitutional privilege and deny any the Judiciary the president will lose his right to due process. Be denied legal representation or his ability to have lawyers call forth witnesses. Essentially this means that any of the following committees can subpoena anything they want up to and including the President's tax information, and should he not comply, they will deny the president the rights of legal counsel. Committees on Financial Services, Foreign Affairs, the Judiciary, Oversight and Reform, and Ways and Means.
It is looking as though the House of Representatives is fully vested in the impeachment proceedings. As House Intel chairman Adam Schiff tweeted out, "Soon, the American people will see new evidence of the President's abuse of power. Every Member of Congress will have to answer: is soliciting foreign interference in our elections acceptable? The answer must be no. Americans decide American elections."
Congressman Ben Cline of Virginia summed up his feelings on resolution 660, stating "The passage of this partisan impeachment resolution today over the objections of Members from both political parties marks a sad day in the House of Representatives,” Cline said. “As a proud member of the Judiciary Committee, I strongly opposed and voted against this sham resolution, which ignores the bipartisan Rodino rules adopted for the Nixon and Clinton impeachment investigations, removes the process from Judiciary’s jurisdiction, and attempts to legitimize the ridiculous circus we have witnessed over the past several weeks. Since moving this investigation behind closed doors, the Majority has hindered due process, ignored precedent, and disregarded fundamental fairness. An impeachment process based on incomplete testimony heard in secret by only a privileged few is reminiscent of the phony trials of the Soviet era, and I will continue to fight for full transparency and for the rights of my constituents to have the full representation that is guaranteed to them by the U.S. Constitution.”
President Trump has long believed that these endless investigations are nothing more than a "Witch Hunt."
How do you feel about the impeachment of President Trump? Will the House succeed in the "witch-hunt" or will they simply after all these hearings decline to impeach?