House panel moves to intensify Trump impeachment probe

The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee moved to intensify its investigation of Republican President Donald Trump on Thursday, as lawmakers edged closer to deciding whether to recommend his impeachment.

The 41-member panel met to debate a resolution allowing it to designate hearings as impeachment proceedings, subject witnesses to more aggressive questioning and quicken the pace of an investigation that is expanding into areas that could prove politically explosive for both Trump and Congress.

Committee members also hope that approving the resolution will dispel lingering confusion within the House Democratic caucus about how to describe the investigation.

“We have been explicit about our intentions. This committee is engaged in an investigation that will allow us to determine whether to recommend articles of impeachment with respect to President Trump,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler told the meeting.

But a more aggressive probe could also increase pressure on House Democratic leaders including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has resisted impeachment as a politically risky step for moderate Democratic freshmen from swing districts where ousting Trump is an unpopular idea.

Republicans dismissed the resolution as a “fantasy” move intended to distract from Democrats’ unwillingness to have the full House authorize a formal impeachment inquiry, as occurred during the Watergate era and the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton.

“The ambiguity — the confusion — is a product of my colleagues’ own making because there is an easy way to know exactly whether this committee is in impeachment proceedings: It’s called a vote — a vote of the full House of Representatives,” said Representative Doug Collins, the panel’s top Republican.