Democrats Announce Next Round of Impeachment Hearings

Patrick Semansky/AP

The House Judiciary Committee has set the date for its first impeachment hearing, scheduled to take place on December 4. The chair of the committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), sent Donald Trump a letter on Tuesday informing the president of his rights in the impeachment process and inviting him to attend the hearing. “I am hopeful that you and your counsel will opt to participate in the Committee’s hearing, consistent with the rules of decorum and with the solemn nature before us,” Nadler writes in the letter. 
It’s the next step in the House’s impeachment inquiry, after a week of testimonies in the House Intelligence Committee, which included several bombshell testimonies from Bill Taylor, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, and Fiona Hill. The hearing next week will consist of legal experts who will discuss the “historical and constitutional basis of impeachment.” 
The announcement comes after a federal judge ruling Monday that former White House counsel Don McGahn must testify before Congress as part of the impeachment inquiry process. It’s a ruling that could have a significant effect on other White House officials that are at the center of Trump’s Ukraine scandal, including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.