众议院司法委员会周四通过政党路线投票，迈出了第一步概述参数民主党称之为未来的“弹劾听证会”，这导致了共和党同事的沮丧和愤怒。

共和党人声称，民主党人正在制造政治噱头，在没有正式宣布弹劾调查开始的情况下，举行特别会议通过新规则，导致社交媒体和电视类比法指责议员贬低该委员会的作用。

“司法委员会已经变成了一个巨大的Instagram过滤器，让人们觉得有什么事情没有发生，”该委员会的共和党最高成员道格·柯林斯众议员说。"你不是在弹劾调查中！"

众议员马特·盖兹(共和党)将民主党对特朗普的调查描述为“拖拉弹劾”和“低级弹劾”回应民主党的抱怨，他说，“你想抱怨什么就抱怨什么。”

“这就像宋飞的一集，”盖兹继续说道。“这是一场关于什么都没有的听证会。这与其说是界定合法的调查，不如说是界定我们与白宫的笔友战略[。”

几个月来，通过法院文件和声明，杰罗德·纳德勒主席(纽约民主党)表示不同意，坚称他们的调查是“决定是否推荐弹劾唐纳德·特朗普总统的条款”司法民主党人认为周四的投票是推进弹劾调查的重要一步，弹劾调查现在将包括与前特朗普官员(如前特朗普竞选经理科里·卢万多夫斯基)的听证会，以及涉及潜在问题的听证会违反宪法滥用权力和妨碍司法公正。

房子民主党人继续发出混杂的信息如何描述他们对特朗普政府的调查。最近几天，领导层拒绝将其成员的监督工作称为弹劾调查或质询，而纳德勒表示，公众、媒体或立法者称之为弹劾调查或质询已不再重要。他试图在周四的委员会会议上搁置此事。

“我们已经明确表达了我们的意图。该委员会正在进行一项调查，将允许我们决定是否推荐针对特朗普总统的弹劾条款，”纳德勒说。“有人称这一过程为弹劾调查。有人称之为弹劾调查。这些术语之间没有法律上的区别，我也不再关心术语的争论。”

通过的新参数将试图加快委员会的调查，允许小组委员会承担部分工作并进行听证，多数和少数成员的工作人员律师将被允许询问证人，从传票、证人和文件中获得的信息将由纳德勒自行决定保密，白宫律师将获得正当程序，并有机会对通过小组调查获得的信息作出书面回应。

柯林斯将此举概括为一种噱头，因为新规则“可以在我们举行的任何听证会上进行”，不需要召开特别会议，也不一定是新的，这表明新的参数已经被委员会规则所允许。

众议员吉姆·乔丹指责民主党“在比赛中改变规则”，因为之前的听证会——包括前特别顾问罗伯特·穆勒的听证会——都是“失败的”

其他共和党成员敦促他们在过道另一边的同事公开记录，并在众议院投票批准他们的弹劾调查。7月，民主党否决了就是否弹劾特朗普进行最低投票的企图。

“这正是我想知道的——我们在这里干什么？”黛比·莱斯科议员说。“这项决议是大多数人利用这个纳税人资助的委员会影响2020年总统选举的又一个例子。仅此而已。这是一场表演。”

众议员汤姆·麦克林托克说:“我敢让你这么做。”。"全票通过。"
 

'A GIANT INSTAGRAM FILTER': GOP ACCUSES DEMS OF CONDUCTING FRAUD IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AS PANEL ADOPTS NEW RULES

The House Judiciary Committee took its first formal step with a party-line vote Thursday to outline the parameters for future "impeachment hearings," as Democrats have labeled them, resulting in frustration and fury from their Republican colleagues.

Democrats are creating a political stunt by holding a special meeting to pass new rules without having officially declared the opening of an impeachment inquiry, Republicans claimed, resulting in the usage of social media and TV analogies to accuse members of denigrating the panel's role.

"The Judiciary Committee has become a giant Instagram filter, to make it appear that something is happening that's not," said Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), the top GOP member of the panel. "You're not in an impeachment inquiry!"

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) described Democrats' investigations into Trump as "impeachment in drag" and "low-T impeachment." Responding to Democrats' grumbles, he said, "moan and groan all you want."

"It's like a Seinfeld episode," Gaetz continued. "It's a hearing about nothing. This is more about defining our pen pal strategy [with the White House] than defining a legitimate investigation."

For months, via court filings and in statements, Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) has said otherwise, insisting their investigations are "to determine whether to recommend articles of impeachment with respect to President Donald Trump." Judiciary Democrats viewed Thursday's vote as a significant step in forwarding their impeachment investigation, which will now include hearings with former Trump officials, like former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, and on matters involving potential violations of the constitution, abuse of power and obstruction of justice.

House Democrats have continued to offer mixed messages on how to characterize their probes into the Trump administration. Leadership in recent days has declined to label their members' oversight efforts as an impeachment investigation or inquiry while Nadler says it no longer matters what the public, media or lawmakers call it. He attempted to lay the matter to rest during Thursday's committee proceeding.

"We have been explicit about our intentions. This committee is engaged in an investigation that will allow us to determine whether to recommend articles of impeachment with respect to President Trump," Nadler said. "Some call this process an impeachment inquiry. Some call it an impeachment investigation. There is no legal difference between these terms, and I no longer care to argue about the nomenclature."

The new parameters passed will attempt to speed up the committee's investigations by allowing subcommittee's to assume some of the work and conduct hearings, staff attorneys for the majority and minority members will be allowed to question witnesses, information obtained from subpoenas, witnesses and documents shall be kept private at Nadler's discretion and White House attorneys will be granted due process and be given the opportunity to respond in writing to information obtained through the panel's probes.

Collins generalized the move as a stunt because the new rules "could've been done at any hearing we do," did not require a special meeting and were not necessarily new, suggesting the new parameters were already permitted under committee rules.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) accused Democrats of "changing the rules in the middle of the game" because previous hearings—including that of former special counsel Robert Mueller's—have been a "flop."

Other GOP members pushed their colleagues on the other side of aisle to go on the record and take a House vote to authorize their impeachment inquiry. In July, Democrats quashed an attempt to force a floor vote on whether to impeach Trump.

"That's exactly what I want to know — what are we doing here?" Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) said. "This resolution is yet another example of the majority utilizing this taxpayer-funded committee to influence the 2020 presidential election. That's all it is. It's a show."

"I double dog dare you to do it," said Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA). "Take full House vote."