House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) left the impeachment hearings in Washington on Tuesday because of a family-related emergency in New York, it was reported.
Judiciary Committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) will take over Nadler’s duties in presenting the articles of impeachment before the Rules Committee, which will set terms of floor debate before bringing the articles of impeachment to a vote on Wednesday.
Nadler is expected to return either late Tuesday late or Wednesday morning when the House vote will take place, a committee aide told Politico.
The Rules Committee is the last step before the individual articles of impeachment will be voted on the House floor and will prepare them for the vote on Wednesday. It is also responsible for setting the terms of debate on the floor.
The House Judiciary Committee released a report on Monday that provides further details about two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, including alleged abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
The panel, which was headed by Nadler, approved the two articles on a party-line vote on Dec. 13—with all 23 Democrats in favor and all 17 Republicans against.
“Taken together, the articles charge that President Trump has placed his personal, political interests above our national security, our free and fair elections, and our system of checks and balances,” the 658-page report (pdf) alleged against the president. “He has engaged in a pattern of misconduct that will continue if left unchecked.”
The report explains the decision to charge Trump in the two articles, including reports from the House Intelligence Committee that lays out the case against Trump. It also includes arguments on the constitutional grounds for impeachment.
Democrats allege that Trump abused his power by withholding foreign aid to Ukraine to secure investigations against a potential 2020 rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, and son Hunter Biden, who sat on the board of Ukrainian gas firm Burisma Holdings—which has long been accused of corruption—while his father was in office. Republicans have said the investigations were warranted to root out alleged corruption.
Trump’s opponents focused claims on a July 25 phone call between the president and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, suggesting Trump was waging a quid pro quo campaign. However, Zelensky, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko, and top Zelensky aide Andriy Yermak have denied there was any pressure or quid pro quo involved in their dealings with the White House. Trump also released a transcript of the call, which doesn’t show evidence of a quid pro quo. As the impeachment inquiry has progressed in public hearings, Trump has frequently highlighted the assertions from Ukrainian officials.
Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
