By James Walker
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The impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump could kick up a notch today as the House votes on whether or not to formalize its proceedings against the president.
Representatives in the Democrat-controlled House will be debating and voting on a resolution that sets out the conditions of any public impeachment inquiry hearings held in the future, and could lead to transcripts of private depositions held so far being published.
Under the terms of the resolution, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and ranking Republican member Devin Nunes will both get as much as 45 minutes to question witnesses at open hearings held by the body.
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It will also permit Republicans on the Intelligence and Judiciary committees to subpoena files and witnesses with the approval of Democrats, and further sets out that the House Judiciary Committee will have the power to dictate any articles of impeachment brought against Trump following inquiry hearings.
The resolution is expected to be passed by House Democrats, who control 234 seats of the 435 available in the chamber, even though some party representatives in swing states have yet to declare whether they will vote for or against the motion today.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who launched the impeachment inquiry in September, announced that the resolution would be tabled earlier this week as she sought to quell Republican criticisms of the investigation.
But leading members of the GOP have not taken to the resolution, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell yesterday tweeting that it would "just codify their unfair process," and said: "No American, the president or anyone else, should be subjected to this kind of unfairness."
Complaints about the resolution follow previous protests about the "secrecy" of private impeachment hearings held in front of committees accessible to both Republicans and Democrats.
One such protest saw several House Republicans attempt to storm a secure room in the basement of the Capitol where testimonies were being heard.
In a letter to Democratic colleagues published on Monday, Pelosi said White House arguments claiming the inquiry lacked "necessary authoriziation" were without merit, pointing out past impeachments had progressed "without any authorizing resolutions."
"We are taking this step to eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump Administration may withhold documents, prevent witness testimony, disregard duly authorized subpoenas, or continue obstructing the House of Representatives," she added.
The resolution being put to a vote in the House today will pass if it achieves a simply majority—the backing of at least 218 representatives.
When is the impeachment inquiry resolution going to a vote?
Voting on the resolution formalizing House impeachment proceedings is scheduled to begin this morning and will take place in the Capitol.
How can you watch the impeachment inquiry resolution vote?
A livestream of the House impeachment procedures vote is due to start on the C-Span website at 12:00 a.m. ET. Footage of the vote may be broadcast live by news outlets on Youtube, following streams of the House Rules Committee marking up the resolution yesterday.
C-Span 3 is also airing a weekly news conference held by Speaker Pelosi at 10:15 a.m. ET—shortly before proceedings on the vote begin in the House.
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