Judiciary panel looks into report
Democrats lose no time in weighing findings by peers against Trump
WASHINGTON-The Democrat-led House Judiciary Committee is moving swiftly to weigh findings by fellow lawmakers that US President Donald Trump misused the power of his office for personal political gain and then obstructed Congress' investigation, thus creating grounds for impeachment.
The Judiciary Committee, which is responsible for drafting articles of impeachment, on Wednesday morning prepared for its first hearing since the release on Tuesday of a 300-page report by the House Intelligence Committee. The report found "serious misconduct" by the president.
The product of a rapid investigation sparked by a whistleblower's complaint in August, the report summarizes a monthslong scheme by Trump, his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and senior diplomats to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into investigating former vice-president Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Joe Biden is Trump's feared rival as he is the favorite to win the Democratic 2020 White House nomination.