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Collins Letter to Nadler re: Impeachment Inquiry Process Whistleblower Complaint on Ukraine (Kelly Smith, comp.) 1 (12/2/2019)

handle is hein.presidents/usgvtwht0211 and id is 1 raw text is: 





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                                            December  2, 2019

The  Honorable Jerrold Nadler
Chairman,  Committee  on the Judiciary
U.S. House  of Representatives
Washington,  D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman  Nadler:

On  November  12, 14, 18, 21, and 30, I wrote you asking specific questions about the process the House
Judiciary Committee will use to bring some legitimacy to this impeachment inquiry launched by Democrats
alone. During the markup on November  21, I asked you to keep me apprised of the process.1 Every letter and
nearly every question remains unanswered, with only 48 hours before our first hearing to consider the
impeachment  of the President. You have not provided a witness list. We do not have the Schiff Report. We do
not have any underlying materials to the Schiff Report. We do not know of any hearings other than one of
academics and possibly a presentation by Chairman Schiffs committee. For the first time in history, this
Committee  will weigh impeachment  without any evidence for us to review. Any discussion with the yet-to-be
identified witnesses will, therefore, be in the abstract.

Regarding the White House  participation in this sham inquiry, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone wrote you
yesterday evening, the countless procedural deficiencies that have infected this inquiry from its inception ...
shows  the lack of seriousness with which you are undertaking these proceedings.2 Former Rep. Jane Harman
(D-CA)  said on television Sunday morning, the process is being rushed at this point ... I think that [the Schiff
Report] and the names of the witnesses [for December 4] should be public immediately.3 Even members of
your own patty are calling on you to conduct a fair and thorough process. This ad hoc, poorly executed
impeachment  inquiry will provide the Senate with ample justification for expeditiously disposing of it.

Once  again, I request clarity on how you intend to conduct this inquiry. As Republicans have stated before, and
consistent with Chairman Schiff s repeated statements, withholding information from the minority shall
constitute evidence of your denial of findamental fairness and due process, as well as obstruction of minority
rights. I stand ready to engage with you on this point, and look forward to hearing from you today.

     rely,



  oug Colli s
Ranking Member.


1Markup of H.R. 5038, Hearing Before the Comm. on the Judiciary (2019) (Statement of Ranking Member Collins).
2 Letter from Mr. Pat A. Cipollone, Counsel to the President, to Hon. Jerrold Nadler, Chairman, H. Comm. on the Judiciary (Dec. 1,
2019).
Fox  News Sunday transcript, available at https:/www . fxnews.com/transcript/reps-dou-collins-hakeem-ieffries-on-what-to-expect-
as-impeachment-hearin s-shift-to-the-house- udiciary-committee.

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