Source: Ryan Saavedra

The Democrat-controlled House Judiciary Committee is set to vote next week on a resolution laying out the procedures that it will use for its investigation as they are reportedly considering moving to impeach President Donald Trump.

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“The vote, which is expected to occur on Wednesday, will lay out the ground rules for conducting hearings now that the committee has publicly announced it is considering recommending articles of impeachment against Trump,” CNN reported. “It is expected to follow the precedent set in 1974 over the committee’s procedures during then-President Richard Nixon’s impeachment proceedings.”

CNN noted that the resolution is expected to allow future House Judiciary hearings to be conducted in ways different than normal congressional hearings because the Democrat-controlled committee is considering impeachment. The resolution, which CNN said was “a major step,” is also expected to give Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) extra power to call hearings at the different committee levels in connection with “its impeachment deliberations.”

In May, American University professor Allan Lichtman, who has correctly predicted the last nine presidential elections, said that Trump would win re-election unless Democrats impeached him.

Lichtman noted that the real damage from an impeachment inquiry comes from “public hearings” and “a public trial in the Senate in which House prosecutors present evidence, present documents, make opening and closing statements.”

Politico noted that the move comes after Nadler declared in August that his committee was already involved in impeachment proceedings which sparked widespread confusion since no formal vote had been taken.

“Though the language of the resolution is still in flux, some sources said it could incorporate elements of traditional impeachment probes, such as offering access to the president’s attorneys or providing for more time to question witnesses,” Politico reported. “There was discussion among some Democrats on Friday’s call about the strength of the language in the resolution, according to sources briefed on the call.”

A source told Politico that the move was intended to increase the “officialness” of Democrats’ investigations into the president, most of which have hit significant roadblocks and have been stalled.