When it comes to examining an impeachment trial against his own person, Donald Trump has a whole repertoire of appraisals at his disposal: "Witch Hunt", "Dizziness", "Fraud" are just some of the highlights. Above all, the US President complains again and again publicly that the whole process is one-sided and partisan.
Now the process goes into the next phase and the Democrats put the President under pressure with a simple trick. The House Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on 4 December. Jerrold Nadler, who chairs the committee, explicitly invited Trump to attend the meeting or be represented by a lawyer.
Olivier Douliery / AFP
Jerrold Nadler: "He can take this opportunity"
Trump has the choice: "He can take this opportunity to be represented at the hearings on impeachment or he can stop complaining about the process." He hopes Trump will decide to participate in the investigation directly or through a lawyer, Nadler said.
Until Sunday, the president has to decide
The trigger for the trial by the Democrats is Trump's telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj on 25 July. In it Trump Selenskyj suggests investigating ex-vice-president Joe Biden, who is applying for the presidential candidacy of the Democrats, and his son Hunter for alleged involvement in corruption.
more on the subject
He also threatened to withhold aid for the Ukrainian military. In the House of Representatives, where the Democrats are in the majority, several committees have already dealt with the process.
Nadler said he had given Trump a letter until next Sunday to inform the Judiciary Committee if he or his lawyer would attend the hearing. The chance that Trump will actually appear on the deadline is considered extremely low.
The democratic party is also concerned with public perception
The maneuver of the Democrats is more likely to be due to the public impact. After all, in addition to the legal component, the procedure should always be seen in the context of the approaching presidential elections. The presidential office initially did not comment.
In video: These were the most important statements in the impeachment process so far
MICHAEL REYNOLDS / EPA-EFE / REX
Even if the plenary session of the House of Representatives is to vote at the end of the indictment's committee work, the barriers to impeachment remain very high. Finally, after the Senate is on the train. There Trumps Republicans have the majority - and despite the heavy incriminating testimony of recent weeks, they are not expected to turn against their boss.
In addition, some Democrats fear that an impeachment trial against Trump could backfire for them, if it should stretch in the election year 2020 too much in length, possibly fails and thus voter bounces.