U.S. House Judiciary Committee's Investigation into Trump's Possible Abuse of Power

The chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee stated that the committee will seek documents from over 60 individuals and entities as part of its investigation into potential obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump and abuse of power. Jerrold Nadler said on Sunday, March 3, during ABC's "This Week" program that among those required to submit documents are the Department of Justice, Donald Trump Jr., the President's son, and Allen Weisselberg, the CFO of the Trump Organization. He added, "We are conducting investigations into abuse of power, corruption... and obstruction of justice. Our duty is to protect the rule of law." Nadler emphasized, "It is clear and evident that the President has obstructed justice." However, he noted that it is still early to discuss impeachment. The chairman specified, "Before anyone is impeached, public opinion in America must be convinced that this should happen." He cited the firing of James Comey, the former FBI director, by Trump as evidence of obstruction of justice, as Comey was investigating potential Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow. This investigation was later pursued by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, whose report is expected to be submitted to the Attorney General in the coming weeks. Nadler also referred to Trump's efforts to intimidate witnesses in these investigations. Reuters reports that the White House, the Department of Justice, and the Trump Organization have not yet commented on this matter. The chairman stated that the committee will publish a list of individuals and organizations required to provide necessary documents on Monday. These remarks come after the testimony last Wednesday of Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, who accused the President of lying multiple times during his candidacy and after taking office. Cohen, who has been convicted of lying to Congress, tax evasion, and violating campaign finance laws, has accused Trump of "lying" and "racism." Kevin McCarthy, the House Minority Leader, reacted to the chairman's statements, saying that Nadler has been seeking to impeach the President since the day he won. According to German news agency reports, McCarthy also criticized Cohen for not warning Trump about illegal actions during his time as his lawyer and stated that violations of campaign finance regulations are not crimes that lead to "impeachment."