How many steps does the impeachment process of the US president go to an important node？
On December 4, four law professors were sworn in at the public hearing/Xinhua News Agency
The Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives held its first hearing on the impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump on the 4th. Some legal experts have determined that Trump’s contacts with Ukraine conform to the definition of "misdemeanor or felony" that can be impeached in the US Constitution.
In addition, the US federal prosecutor recently interviewed Andrei KoBorev, CEO of Ukrainian oil and gas company, to investigate the business transactions between President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his partners.
Is the president’s action unconstitutional?
On the same day, the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives "took over" the impeachment investigation hearing of the Intelligence Committee and listened to legal experts’ opinions on the constitutional basis of impeachment. At the public hearing, four law professors were invited to testify on the constitutional basis of impeaching the president. At the hearing, the positions of the democratic and Republican parties were seriously opposed. Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a Democrat, said at the hearing that Trump "directly and explicitly sought foreign intervention in American elections" when dealing with Ukrainian affairs, which was unconstitutional. Three law professors invited by the Democratic Party all said that Trump was suspected of abusing his power and obstructing justice, and his behavior had met the conditions for impeachment. This Committee will then hold more hearings to decide whether to propose to impeach Trump and what "charges" to impeach.
Pamela Karan, a professor at Stanford Law School in the United States who attended the hearing, said that Trump "encouraged" Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden, a former vice president of the United States and a democratic candidate for the 2020 presidential election, and his son Hunter’s actions were "serious abuse of power".
Some experts hold the opposite opinion. Jonathan Terry, a professor at George Washington University in the United States, opposes the impeachment of Trump and believes that the impeachment investigation lacks sufficient evidence to support it and will end in vain.
The impeachment investigation began in September because an intelligence official accused Trump of using military aid as a bargaining chip when he spoke to Zelensky on the phone in July, and asked Uzbekistan to investigate and collect the "black materials" of Biden and his son. The Democratic Party accused the Republican president of abusing his power, seeking foreign forces to interfere in next year’s presidential election and harming national security interests, and then launched an impeachment investigation in the dominant House of Representatives. The previous investigation was led by the House Intelligence Committee, and several closed-door and public hearings were held. Trump decided that he was "politically persecuted" by Democrats, and his dissatisfied lawyer could not ask witnesses at the hearing.
Aides of some Democratic lawmakers disclosed that the Judiciary Committee may vote on whether to propose to impeach Trump in the next two weeks. Once passed, the impeachment case may be voted in the plenary session of the House of Representatives before Christmas on December 25th.
Trump supports private lawyers
On the 4th, Trump reported to the House Intelligence Committee that it was "no big deal" that his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, frequently contacted White House officials by telephone.
On the 3rd, the Intelligence Committee published a 300-page impeachment investigation report, which disclosed some telephone call records of Trump’s "people around him", suggesting that inappropriate behavior was not limited to Trump himself. According to the report, these phone records involved many calls between Giuliani, Giuliani’s partner, Devon nunes, the highest-ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, and the White House Office of Management and Budget.
"Some people say that he (Giuliani) called the White House. What does it matter? " Trump told reporters when attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in London, England, "Is that supposed to be a big deal? I don’t think so. "
William Taylor, the U.S. Chargé d ‘affaires in Ukraine, testified before the Intelligence Committee last month that the U.S. government pushed Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son through "unconventional policy channels", which was led by Giuliani. According to the 300-page report, Giuliani called a telephone number associated with the White House Office of Management and Budget three times on April 24, and it was this institution that once frozen military assistance to Ukraine; He also called a phone number associated with the White House eight times that day. Coincidentally, that night, the State Council called Mary Jovanovic, then the US ambassador to Ukraine, and asked her to return to China because the White House officials were "worried".
Trump insisted that he knew nothing about those calls, and insisted that Giuliani was a "very good lawyer" and "the best mayor in new york’s history". Giuliani argued that his repeated phone calls with the White House did not constitute a "specific topic". "You know, I am the president’s lawyer".
According to the procedure, if the House of Representatives approves the impeachment, the Senate will "hear" the impeachment case and decide whether to "convict" and dismiss Trump. However, the Senate is controlled by Trump’s Republican Party.
The oil tycoon volunteered to interview the prosecutor.
On the 4th, Associated Press quoted Lanny Brewer, lawyer of Andrei KoBorev, CEO of Ukrainian oil and gas company, as saying that KoBorev voluntarily met with representatives of the US Department of Justice. "The Ministry of Justice requested an interview with Andrei Coe Borev," Brewer said. "He agreed and took the initiative to talk to the prosecutor." Brewer did not specify the time and place of the interview. A source who was not authorized to talk about the investigation said that Coe Borev met with the US prosecutor in the British capital London.
A number of unnamed sources said that federal prosecutors in new york are investigating Giuliani’s business transactions. Previously, his partners, Florida businessmen Lev panas and Igor Fruhmann, were arrested while preparing to board a plane for Europe with a one-way ticket from Washington.
According to the indictment, panas and Fruhmann are believed to be the key intermediaries who helped Giuliani push the Ukrainian investigation into Joe Biden, a former vice president of the United States and a democratic candidate for next year’s presidential election, and his son Hunter. In January this year, they not only arranged for Giuliani to meet with yuriy lutsenko, the then Ukrainian Supreme Prosecutor, in new york, but also arranged for Giuliani to meet with other Ukrainian government officials many times.
The Associated Press reported that the impeachment investigation in the House of Representatives focused more on Giuliani’s role in pushing Uzbekistan to investigate Biden and his son. In contrast, the federal prosecutor’s "interview" with Borev and other Ukrainian oil and gas company executives showed that their investigation had expanded to the commercial transaction level of Giuliani and his partners.
William Taylor, the U.S. Chargé d ‘affaires in Ukraine, testified before the Intelligence Committee of the House of Representatives last month that the U.S. government pushed Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son through "unconventional policy channels", which was led by Giuliani. This group/Xinhua News Agency
How many steps is the impeachment process?
The first stage starts impeachment investigation.
On September 24th, nancy pelosi, Speaker of the National Assembly, announced the official launch of the impeachment investigation. On December 4th, the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives held its first public hearing.
In the second stage, the impeachment decision is made.
The Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives voted on whether there were sufficient reasons for impeachment. If it is not passed, the House of Representatives may still hold a plenary vote.
If the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives votes to approve the impeachment proposal, it will draft impeachment clauses, and each clause needs to be approved by a majority of members of the Judiciary Committee. The House of Representatives held a plenary debate on the impeachment clause submitted by the Judiciary Committee. The house of representatives holds a plenary vote on the impeachment clause, which requires a simple majority to pass.
The third stage of trial preparation
If the House of Representatives passes the impeachment clause, the impeachment case will enter the trial preparation stage. The House of Representatives appoints some members as "administrators" and acts as "prosecutors" to submit impeachment clauses to the Senate. The Senate acts as a jury.
John roberts, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, was sworn to preside over the trial and presided over the oath of senators. The Senate discussed the formulation of trial procedure guidelines. The Senate issued a subpoena to the president, asking him to respond to the impeachment clause by a specific deadline.
The fourth stage trial
Opening statement: The "administrator" appointed by the House of Representatives and the team of White House lawyers present the case, which may last for several days.
Verification of evidence: The Senate may issue subpoenas, demand evidence, cross-examine and cross-examine witnesses.
Closing the court debate: the prosecution and the defense make final statements.
Senate discussion: it is possible to discuss it behind closed doors and not open to the public.
The Senate votes on impeachment clauses: all impeachment clauses must be passed by a two-thirds majority.