President Donald Trump has until Dec. 6 to call witnesses and present evidence in impeachment hearings led by the Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee, the committee's chair Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, wrote in a letter on Friday.
The Judiciary Committee will hold its first hearing on Dec. 4 on the constitutional basis of impeachment. The hearing comes following the House Intelligence Committee's weeks-long inquiry into allegations the Trump administration withheld military aid to Ukraine in exchange for investigations into Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President and current Democratic candidate Joe Biden. The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, led by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-CA, will present a report on its findings to be used by Judiciary Committee.
The House Judiciary Committee is also investigating whether President Trump obstructed justice during special counsel Robert Mueller's inquiry into Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election.
It is the Judiciary Committee's ultimate responsibility to draft the specific articles of impeachment that will then be voted on by the House and sent to the Senate.
Earlier this month, President Trump said that he will "strongly consider" testifying in the House's impeachment probe. During Mueller's inquiry into the Trump campaign, the president and his legal counsel initially signaled openness to be interviewed under oath, though backed down over concerns of a "perjury trap."
In a separate letter, Nadler also gave Rep. Doug Collins, R-GA, the ranking member of the committee, the same Dec. 6 deadline to propose witnesses to question and subpoena for the upcoming hearings. Under the house impeachment rules, Nadler has the power to confirm those requests, though the Judiciary Committee can also vote to override Nadler. The chair also scheduled a committee meeting on Dec. 9 to sort out such conflicts.