SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — The House Judiciary Committee  has voted to pass impeachment procedures.

Democrats are calling the move their next steps in determining whether to approve articles of impeachment against President Trump. Republicans say the move is “largely symbolic”.

According to the Committee, the procedures would allow staff counsel to participate for one hour during hearings.  They also claim President Trump would have to respond in writing to the evidence that’s been gathered.

Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler says an “aggressive series of hearings”  will start next week.

“The investigation will go well beyond the four corners of the Mueller Report, and we sill be starting with… our first hearing on September 17th.”

He says there’s no confusion about what his committee is doing:

“It’s an impeachment investigation, no matter how you want to phrase it.”

More than half of the Democrats in the House support impeachment but the party’s leader has said she’d rather avoid it.   Nanci Peolsi stated  previously that impeachment would be  “very divisive” and the best way to get Trump out of office…is to win the 2020 election.

Pelosi didn’t answer questions about impeachment after the vote. She tells reporters that the House is “following the facts” and committees will continue investigating the President and his administration.

At this point, there’s nothing planned for the full House and no articles of impeachment have been introduced. Today’s vote was seen by Republicans as just a “procedure issue”.

Republican Committee members  are criticizing the Democrats’ move.

Georgia Republican Doug Collins said Democrats are walking “down the yellow brick road” toward the “Emerald City” of impeachment.

“The Judiciary Committee has become a giant Instagram filter.  To make it appear that something’s happening that is not.”

The vote  was along Party lines.

More about: