Talking Points: Law Professor David Schultz Discusses Impeachment Process And What Lies Ahead

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- This week the House Intelligence Committee will be writing up its report on the impeachment hearings which will then be sent on to the House Judiciary Committee to decide whether or not to draft Articles of Impeachment. Only then can a vote by the full House on Impeachment happen.

WCCO's Esme Murphy looks at the deep partisan divide over impeachment and the impact that will have.

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The threat of impeachment may be looming over the President but he has reason to feel optimistic about the final outcome because not a single Republican member of Congress has broken from him.

Even moderate Republicans and those who are retiring from the House say they will not vote for impeachment.

Of course in the House, with a majority of Democrats, a vote on impeachment can still happen along purely party lines.

An impeachment is like an indictment, the matter would then go to the Republican Senate for a trial, where the Republican majority at this point is expected to find the President not guilty.

Again, there are no indications that any Republican Senators will break from President Trump. So where does that leave the nation and the President less than a year from an election?

Constitutional Law Professor David Schultz was a guest on WCCO Sunday Morning to discuss the impeachment process.

"People are hearing what they want to hear and reaching conclusions based upon their pre-existing views," Schultz explained. "This is good news for Donald Trump. Why? He is not seeing a defection, which means Democrats can't make an argument for bi-partisan support for impeachment."

Schultz added that the timing of the impeachment process will have a dramatic effect on the Democratic Presidential nomination.

"Right now a two week trial in the Senate is likely to take place in January, just weeks before the first votes are cast in the Presidential race in the Iowa caucuses," Schultz explained. "That means Senators running for President, Senators Booker, Harris, Klobuchar, Sanders and Warren will not be out on the campaign trail they will be stuck in Washington for the trial. On the other hand, it could provide those Senators with high visibility just at the time undecided voters are beginning to make up their minds."

The Iowa caucuses are in just over two months on Feb. 3, 2020.