House Democrats release resolution detailing next steps in impeachment inquiry

WASHINGTON — House Democrats released on Tuesday text of the resolution that will detail their procedures as they move forward with the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.

The full House is expected to vote Thursday on the resolution after the House Rules Committee debates and marks it up on Wednesday.

Tuesday's release comes as pressure grows on Democrats to make the impeachment inquiry more open, including holding public hearings with key witnesses in the Ukraine affair that has engulfed the Trump administration.

The eight-page resolution calls for public hearings and lays out their general format, and specifically permits staff counsels to question witnesses for periods of up to 45 minutes per side, Democrats and Republicans. The resolution gives the minority the same rights to question witnesses that the majority has, " as has been true at every step of the inquiry," Democrats said in a fact sheet about the measure.

"The House impeachment inquiry has collected extensive evidence and testimony, and soon the American people will hear from witnesses in an open setting. The resolution introduced today in the House Rules Committee will provide that pathway forward," said the Democratic chairmen of four House committees involved in the impeachment process including House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif.