Next phase of impeachment inquiry begins

WASHINGTON—The House Judiciary Committee took the baton from Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee in its first impeachment hearing Wednesday morning. Democrats called law professors from Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of North Carolina to testify about the constitutional threshold for impeaching a president. Republicans called George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley.

What are the alleged grounds for impeachment? House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said his committee’s 300-page report, issued after an investigation and public hearings, shows President Donald Trump “solicited foreign interference in our election, and used the power of his office, the power to convene a meeting in the Oval Office, the power to provide or withhold hundreds of millions of dollars of aid to an ally at war to get his political dirty work done.”

On Monday, Republicans also issued a report. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said it argues that “not any of the Democrat witnesses found any kind of bribery or extortion or collusion … that these guys have a different worldview. They don’t like the president, so they’re going to try to boot him out of office.”

The Judiciary Committee will decide whether the Intelligence Committee found enough evidence to recommend articles of impeachment for the House to vote on by Christmas. That would send the matter to the Senate for a trial in January.

Dig deeper: Watch the hearing on C-SPAN.