This week on "Face the Nation," December 8, 2019: Schiff, Meadows
Democrats forge ahead with impeachment probe
House Democrats delivered their findings in a 300-page long report this week, formally outlining what they believe to be grounds for articles of impeachment of President Trump, making a Senate trial all but a reality for the commander-in-chief.
"This report chronicles a scheme by the president of the United States to coerce an ally, Ukraine, that is at war with an adversary, Russia, into doing the president's political dirty work," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said on Capitol Hill.
The report said the president "sought to undermine the integrity of the U.S. presidential election process" and "ordered and implemented a campaign to conceal his conduct from the public and frustrate and obstruct the House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry" once his actions were uncovered.
The report now moves to the House Judiciary Committee, which would ultimately draft articles of impeachment against the president. Committee members on Wednesday were able to hear expert testimony from legal scholars on the history and impact of impeachment.
They'll meet once again on Monday where they'e slated to hear testimony from Democratic and Republican counsels for the House Intelligence Committee and the House Judiciary Committee -- making the case for or against impeachment. The counsels will present evidence gathered from weeks of hearings by the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees.
On Thursday with report in hand, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that her caucus is now ready to move ahead with impeaching the president, admonishing Trump for his abuse of the office of the president.
"If we allow a president to be above the law, we do so surely at the peril of our republic. In America, no one is above the law," said Pelosi. "The facts and the Constitution give us no choice but to move forward with impeachment of the president."
While the Democratic-led House appears poised to impeach, President Trump now looks to the Republican-held Senate at his shot at a "fair shake".
"The word impeachment is a dirty word," Trump told reporters. "It's a word that was only supposed to be used in special occasions. High crimes and misdemeanors, in this case, there was no crime whatsoever. Not even a little tiny crime."
And after blocking key administration officials, Mr. Trump changed course, telling reporters that he now wants Secretary Mike Pompeo, Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and Energy Secretary Rick Perry among other officials to testify before the Senate, saying they would be offered a more "fair" trial
"Face the Nation" Guest Lineup:
- Rep. Adam Schiff, Intelligence Committee Chair, @RepAdamSchiff
- Rep. Mark Meadows, R - North Carolina, @RepMarkMeadows
- Robert O'Brien, National Security Adviser
- Neal Katyal, "Impeach: The Case Against Donald Trump", @neal_katyal
And, as always, we'll turn to our political panel for some perspective on the week:
- Josh Holmes, Republican Commentator, @HolmesJosh
- Julie Pace, The Associated Press, @jpaceDC
- Adam Entous, The New Yorker @adamentous
- Ed O'Keefe, CBS News Political Correspondent, @edokeefe
How to watch "Face the Nation"
Date: Sunday, November 24, 2019
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