Under fire from Republicans and the White House over their impeachment investigation, House Democrats announced Monday that a vote would be held late this week on a measure which will 'provide a clear path forward' for the impeachment process against President Donald Trump.
"For weeks, the President, his Counsel in the White House, and his allies in Congress have made the baseless claim that the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry 'lacks the necessary authorization for a valid impeachment proceeding,'" Pelosi wrote in a letter to fellow House Democrats.
"Of course this argument has no merit," Pelosi added, telling Democrats that a resolution would be brought up for a vote in the House this week to establish the parameters for public hearings, the release of deposition transcripts, and more.
"We are taking this step to eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump Administration may withhold documents, prevent witness testimony, disregard duly authorized subpoenas, or continue obstructing the House of Representatives," Pelosi wrote.
The resolution will be unveiled on Tuesday by House Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA).
"As committees continue to gather evidence and prepare to present their findings, I will be introducing a resolution to ensure transparency and provide a clear path forward," McGovern said in a written statement.
The move comes after several weeks of closed door depositions led by three different House committees, which led to attacks by the President and GOP lawmakers, including a sit-in last week by several dozen House Republicans, which postponed testimony from a Pentagon witness for five hours.
Republicans quickly said their public pressure had worked, and that Democrats were basically caving in on the argument that no vote was needed in the House to authorize the impeachment effort.
“This is a necessary step to ensure all our voices are heard,” said Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK).
"They’ll deny it but I do take this a sign that the process complaints are having an effect and distracting from their narrative," said Brendan Buck, a former aide for both Speaker Paul Ryan and Speaker John Boehner.
"House Democrats now suddenly saying they'll vote on an impeachment resolution to “ensure transparency” is rich — considering they've spent weeks conducting interviews in secret, leaking their own talking points while locking down any and all information that benefits the President," said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC).
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