According to a new book, House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, had a dramatic conflict with House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over how they handled impeachment proceedings against former President Trump, claiming that the methods used by the prominent Democrats were “unconstitutional” and could be used to attack the party if they were discovered.
The stunning information is included in a new book titled “Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress’s Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump,” which is set to be published on October 18th by Politico Playbook co-author Rachael Bade and Washington Post reporter Karoun Demirjian. The book details the tactics utilized by Democrats to attack Trump.
Worried about the situation and the likelihood that his Judiciary Committee would not be able to cross-examine witnesses as the committee had done traditionally, Nadler attempted to confront Schiff about the planned process and, according to the book announced, regarding Schiff’s claims, that “It’s unfair, and it’s unprecedented, and it’s unconstitutional.”
According to the book, in October 2019, during the Democrats’ plan to hold a full House vote on a resolution outlining the structure of impeachment proceedings against Trump, Nadler took issue with how Schiff, who was appointed by Pelosi to lead the impeachment efforts, was willing to proceed with the impeachment without due process for Trump.
To get clearance from Pelosi, Nadler engaged attorneys and had his staff study records and books from past Presidents Nixon and Johnson’s impeachments. Those efforts were successful, prompting Pelosi and Schiff to reassess the Judiciary Committee’s participation in the process, while having “their own opinions about how he should operate his committee procedure,” according to the book.
Nadler’s annoyance with the two Democrats escalated. His team’s research revealed that presidents facing impeachment by Congress were permitted to defend themselves before the House Judiciary Committee, with counsel for the president able to attend hearings and cross-examine testifying witnesses or summon their own.
That didn’t matter to Schiff, according to the authors, and the idea that Trump wouldn’t be able to face his accusers before being impeached didn’t sit well with Nadler, who cautioned Pelosi and Schiff of the long-term consequences of a such an act.
Pelosi and Schiff were allegedly apprehensive about what Trump’s attorneys would say at the hearings, fearing that it would upend Democratic messaging ahead of the 2020 presidential race and potentially interfere with the presidential campaign of then candidate Joe Biden.
Pelosi later instructed her aides not to accept the GOP’s accusations that Trump was not being handled fairly throughout the impeachment process.
This in spite of the fact that it appears high ranking members of her own party may have agreed with them.
[READ MORE: Fetterman Promoted Notorious Street Gang During Run for Mayor]
