Doug Collins wants hearing with GOP witnesses before articles of impeachment

The top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee is calling on Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) to hold a hearing with GOP witnesses before the panel moves ahead with articles of impeachment.

In a letter sent to Nadler on Thursday, Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) argued that Republicans are entitled to a minority hearing under the rules set for impeachment.

“During yesterday’s impeachment hearing, Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) furnished you with a timely demand for a minority day of hearings, signed by all Republican Members of the Committee,” Collins wrote. “You declined repeated requests by Republican Members during the hearing to acknowledge your obligation to schedule such a hearing or to provide any details on your planned schedule for further impeachment proceedings.”

The Georgia Republican — one of President Trump’s most vocal defenders in the House — went on to blast the impeachment inquiry as a “sham.”

Nadler’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The speed at which Democrats are moving makes it highly unlikely a GOP-focused hearing will be scheduled.

Collins’s push comes shortly after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced the House will move forward with articles of impeachment. Multiple Democratic sources said the articles could be introduced as soon as next week.

The request also comes a day after a lengthy Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing that featured three Democratic witnesses and one picked by Republicans. The four legal scholars discussed the constitutional aspects of impeachment, with the GOP witness saying Trump’s dealings with Ukraine did not rise to the level of impeachment.