WASHINGTON, D.C.— Following this morning’s impeachment hearing testimony in the House Judiciary Committee, People For the American Way Senior Fellow Elliot Mincberg released the following statement:

“As a former Judiciary Committee lawyer, I was pleased to see Chairman Nadler effectively ensure that the American people could hear today’s important testimony despite Republicans’ efforts to disrupt the proceedings and to create a distraction with a reference to the Bidens. Perhaps most compelling was the warning that if President Trump is not sanctioned for his misconduct, Congress will be inviting him and future Presidents to solicit election interference by foreign governments and to defy Congress in the future, including in 2020.

“The expert testimony we heard today effectively placed a constitutional and legal framework around the devastating facts in the House Intelligence Committee Report. Three experts, including one previously called by Republicans and one who has been skeptical about impeachment, explained that the facts show that Trump committed the impeachable offenses of abuse of power by soliciting election interference by Ukraine, bribery, and obstruction of Congress. One witness, Prof. Gerhardt, also explained that the Mueller report documents obstruction of justice by Trump, which could be an impeachable offense as well. That’s significant since the Judiciary Committee will ultimately decide if articles of impeachment to be voted on by the full House will be limited only to Trump’s conduct related to Ukraine, or encompass other misconduct.”

Elliot Mincberg has researched and analyzed the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, religious liberty and other civil rights/civil liberties issues for more than three decades. He is also a former chief counsel for oversight and investigations of the House Judiciary Committee, where he gained extensive  experience with impeachment proceedings.

About People For the American Way

People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all. We encourage civic participation, defend fundamental rights, and fight to dismantle systemic barriers to equitable opportunity.  Learn more: https://www.pfaw.org.

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