House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff sent a letter to House Democrats today updating them on the status of the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump. Schiff writes that his committee has "uncovered a massive amount of evidence" and that Trump "sought foreign interference in our elections for his personal and political benefit at the expense of our national interest."
As required under House Resolution 660, the Committees are now preparing a report summarizing the evidence we have found this far, which will be transmitted to the Judiciary Committee soon after Congress returns from the Thanksgiving recess.
We will catalog the instances of non-compliance with lawful subpoenas as part of our report to the Judiciary Committee, which will allow that Committee to consider whether an article of impeachment based on obstruction of Congress is warranted along with an article or articles based on this underlying conduct or other presidential misconduct.
Passing the compiled evidence against Trump to the House Judiciary Committee for deliberation over what, if any, articles of impeachment are justified by that evidence does not mean Schiff is entirely discounting the likelihood of new evidence being uncovered. "We will follow up on any additional evidence, even as we proceed with the preparation of our report." That said, Schiff is making it clear that the impeachment inquiry now shifts to Rep. Jerry Nadler and the Judiciary Committee.
Schiff's letter also seems to treat administration obstruction, which he singles out and condemns, as fact. There is no hint that further efforts will be made to compel testimony from administration officials who have refused to cooperate with Congress. This would be a gross mistake: The willing participation of key administration officials in efforts to obstruct a congressional impeachment inquiry is in itself an impeachable offense for each of those officials in turn.
For Attorney General William Barr, White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, or others to face no consequences, after refusing to comply with document requests despite their own firsthand participation in what the Intelligence Committee clearly deems to be a criminal act, would be a dereliction of duty. The notion of absolute immunity of the executive branch from congressional oversight is anti-American, corrupt, and inarguably unconstitutional.
Unless Schiff and the Intelligence Committee are expecting the Judiciary Committee to now compel administration testimony in their place—or to take punitive action commensurate with that obstruction—they still have unfinished work to do.