House committee invites Trump to 1st impeachment hearing on December 4

The US House Judiciary Committee has invited President Donald Trump to its first impeachment hearing due next week.

Jerry Nadler, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, wrote a letter to Trump on Tuesday and invited the American president and his counsel to participate at the hearing scheduled for December 4.

The hearing is the first in the third phase of the investigation into whether Trump abused his powers in pressing Ukrainian leaders to find dirt on his political opponents.

"The Committee intends this hearing to serve as an opportunity to discuss the historical and constitutional basis of impeachment, as well as the Framers' intent and understanding of terms like 'high crimes and misdemeanors,'" Nadler said in the letter.

"We expect to discuss the constitutional framework through which the House may analyze the evidence gathered in the present inquiry," he added. "We will also discuss whether your alleged actions warrant the House's exercising its authority to adopt articles of impeachment."

Nadler also said in an accompanying statement that Trump can choose to either "be represented in the impeachment hearings," or "stop complaining about the process," adding that he hopes the president "chooses to participate in the inquiry, directly or through counsel, as other Presidents have done before him."

In a tweet earlier in the day, ​Trump said he would "love” to have a range of serving and former senior members of his administration testify about the “phony impeachment hoax" in an effort to prove that the Democrats' suspicions amount to nothing.

PressTV-Trump wants top aides to testify in impeachment inquiry

Trump has said that he would “love” for a range of serving and former senior members of his administration to testify before Congress.

A US federal judge ruled on Monday that presidential aides must testify before Congress. The officials include former national security advisor John Bolton, White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

House Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry against Trump in September after a whistle-blower alleged the Republican president pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who had served as a director for Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

Trump is alleged to have stalled almost $400 million in military aid and a White House visit for Zelensky to pressure Kiev into the probe. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

PressTV-Half Americans say Trump must be removed

Half of Americans say Trump’s request to Ukraine’s leader to investigate his political rival was wrong and he should be impeached and removed from office, according to a new poll.

The impeachment probe shifted to a public phase on November 13 after weeks of closed-door interviews in the House.

Fifty percent of US adults think Trump should be impeached and removed from office, while 43 percent of those surveyed said they do not feel that way, according to a CNN poll released on Tuesday.

Fifty-three of Americans said Trump “used the presidency improperly”, according to the poll.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk