U.S. Democrats unveil resolution for next steps in Trump impeachment bid
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Democrats in the US House of Representatives have published a resolution setting out the next steps in their impeachment efforts against President Donald Trump.
The motion sets out a more public phase of the inquiry and hands the lead role in hearings to the chair of the intelligence committee, Adam Schiff.
The House, controlled by the Democrats, will vote on the measure on Thursday.
A White House spokeswoman called the resolution an “illegitimate sham”.
So far, hearings have been held behind closed doors.
Trump is accused of trying to pressure Ukraine into investigating unsubstantiated corruption claims against his political rival, Joe Biden, and his son who worked with Ukrainian gas company Burisma.
Trump denies wrongdoing and calls the impeachment inquiry a “witch hunt”.
On Tuesday, the impeachment inquiry heard from Lt Col Alexander Vindman, a White House official who had monitored a phone call on 25 July between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
US Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman (L), the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, arrives for a closed session before the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Ov?ersight committees at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 29 October 2019. EPA-EFE/SHAWN THEW
That call sparked a whistle-blower complaint and led to the impeachment probe.
Col Vindman said he was “concerned” by the call as he “did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a US citizen”.
