Democrats still see the end of the year as the rough deadline to complete the inquiry process.
Democrats leading the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump have provided no time frame for moving their highly secretive process out from behind closed doors — and that’s because there isn’t one.
Interviews with a dozen Democratic lawmakers and aides reveal little urgency to cut short a string of closed-door depositions with senior Trump administration figures that have yielded a mountain of damaging evidence, amid Republican lawmakers’ gripes about the tightly controlled process.
At the same time, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff is signaling that he plans to expedite the inquiry.
“There has not been some date picked that we’re not telling you,” Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said in an interview.
“The concern that the chairman has, that I share, is that we do a thorough job because it’s really important that we get it right. And you’ve got to balance that with being quick,” Maloney added of the impeachment inquiry, which is examining Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine’s leaders to launch investigations of his political rivals in exchange for releasing military aid.
……..
Democratic leaders have defended the secrecy of the evidence-gathering process, arguing it prevents witnesses from coordinating their testimony and permits more thorough questioning of witnesses by professional lawyers of both parties — who typically are not permitted to ask questions in public sessions. They’ve also pointed out that Republicans who serve on the three panels leading the inquiry have the same access to the closed-door interviews as Democrats.
“Every member has a right to ask questions, and time is equally divided between the two parties. I don’t know where they’re getting this secrecy stuff,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said.
CPO1
Article URL : https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/24/trump-impeachment-timeline-056750