WASHINGTON With a solemn procession through the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday, the House took the final, formal steps to pave the way for the third presidential impeachment trial in the nations history.
But even before Thursdays swearing-in ceremonies could get underway, freshly appointed House managers were predicting that newly released evidence against President Donald Trump with more possibly to come would complicate Republican hopes of reaching a speedy conclusion.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., told the Los Angeles Times that he expects new evidence to come out during the course of the Senate trial, adding a possible element of surprise to the proceedings.
Theres going to be new evidence coming out all the time. And if this is conducted like a fair trial, then that new evidence should be admitted. If its relevant, if its probative, if it sheds light on the guilt or innocence of the president, then it should be admitted, Schiff said.
Schiff and six other representatives, including Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., were confirmed in a largely party-line vote as the de facto prosecutors in the trial.
The vote cleared the way for the impeachment articles passed by the House on Dec. 18 to be forwarded to the Senate, where pretrial proceedings are expected to start Thursday morning.
Trump was impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to his pressuring of Ukraine to investigate his political rivals as he withheld nearly $400 million in U.S. aid to the country.
Some Senate Republicans have indicated they think the scope of evidence weighed by the Senate should be limited to the evidence gathered during the House investigation. But Schiff predicted that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would run into difficulty if he attempted to block new information.
It will be hard, I think, for the senators to ignore new and probative evidence, Schiff said. What are they going to say? Were not going to look at that. We dont want to see it. … So there are limits I think to the ability of Sen. McConnell to prevent meaningful evidence from being considered.
Schiff did not say if he knew of particular evidence that the managers planned to reveal. But in the last few weeks, since the House voted for impeachment, Democrats say there have been several new developments and disclosures that bolster their case, including an offer by former national security adviser John Bolton to testify and the release to the House Intelligence Committee of documents related to the actions of Trump loyalists in Ukraine, including Trumps personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani, and his indicted associate Lev Parnas.
In an interview Wednesday on MSNBC, Parnas told Rachel Maddow, President Trump knew exactly what was going on. He was aware of all my movements. I wouldnt do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani, or the president.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced earlier Wednesday her choice of House managers: Nadler, Schiff, Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Reps. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., Jason Crow, D-Colo., Val Demings, D-Fla., and Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas. Schiff, a former prosecutor, was tapped to lead the group.
The emphasis is on litigators. The emphasis is on comfort level in the courtroom, Pelosi said in describing the legal experience her choices brought to the proceedings.
The managers will give opening and closing statements, lay out the facts collected in the House investigation and potentially will cross-examine witnesses.
The task before us is a grave one, but one demanded by our oath, Schiff said on the House floor before the vote. The House managers will take the case to the Senate and to the American people.
The House of Representatives confirmed the managers by a vote of 228-193. Rep. Collin C. Peterson of Minnesota was the only Democrat to vote against the resolution.
