Democrats zoom in on Trump impeachment charges this week

Democratic lawmakers could vote this week on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, the House Judiciary Committee chairman said on Sunday as lawmakers sharpened their focus on charges of wrongdoing in his dealings with Ukraine.

U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler said the panel will not decide on the specific articles until after a hearing on Monday to consider evidence gathered by the House Intelligence Committee in its investigation of the Republican leader.

“There are possible drafts that various people are writing,” Nadler told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “But the fact is we’re not going to make any decision as to how broad the articles should be – as to what they contain, what the wording is – until after the hearing tomorrow.”

The Democratic-led House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry focuses on Trump’s request that Ukraine investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading contender for the Democratic nomination to face Trump in the November 2020 election.

Nadler told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that articles of impeachment would be brought to the panel later in the week. Asked on CNN if lawmakers could vote this week, he said, “It’s possible.”

The impeachment probe has focused on a July 25 telephone call in which Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to open an investigation into Biden and his son Hunter, and into a discredited theory promoted by Trump and his allies that Ukraine, not Russia, meddled in the 2016 election.

Trump denies wrongdoing and says the impeachment inquiry is a politically motivated witchhunt aimed at ousting him.

Democrats cite “overwhelming” evidence that Trump put his personal interests above those of the country in seeking foreign help to win the November 2020 election.

“I think the case we have, if presented to a jury, would be a guilty verdict in about three minutes flat,” Nadler said.(Reuters)