These House Prosecutors Will Present Trump Impeachment to Senate

(Bloomberg) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named seven Democrats to act as managers in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump that is set to begin in earnest in the Senate next week.

These lawmakers will present the House case that Trump should be removed from office and barred from holding future office. The group includes the chairmen of two committees that investigated the Ukraine scandal, some moderate members, as well as key Pelosi loyalists from the House Democratic caucus.

The prosecutors:

Adam Schiff, House Intelligence chairman

The lead manager will be Schiff, a former prosecutor who became the face of the House impeachment effort after leading the first phase of the investigation. Smooth and well-versed in the details of the case, the California Democrat nonetheless came under attack for parodying Trump during an early hearing and making misleading statements about his staff talking with the intelligence community whistle-blower. Trump singled him out for attack and said he should be called as a witness at the trial if Democrats are allowed to call other witnesses. The Burbank congressman has been talked about as a possible future speaker or senator. “Senators must demand to see and hear the full evidence, including the documents and witnesses the president has blocked,” Schiff said in a statement Wednesday.

Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary chairman

Nadler’s committee drafted the two articles of impeachment alleging Trump abused power and obstructed Congress in the Ukraine affair. Nadler’s strengths are his understanding of the legal and constitutional theory behind the case. The New York congressman has been less successful at times in controlling the chaotic atmosphere in the committee and limiting Republican objections. Nadler was an early advocate for impeachment, even before the Ukraine scandal came to light, based on the report from Robert Mueller into possible obstruction of justice by Trump of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic Caucus chairman

New York’s Jeffries is one of the leading candidates to replace Pelosi as speaker whenever she steps aside. His strengths include his public speaking ability -- he has been called “Brooklyn’s Barack” -- and his knack for being able to boil down the complex Ukraine allegations into a case the public can understand. The former corporate lawyer’s high-profile turn in the Senate trial could help him rise from his current No. 4 position in House leadership, but earlier this week he indicated he didn’t want the job of manager. He told reporters Wednesday the managers will “simply follow the facts, be guided by the law, be guided by the Constitution, and present the truth to the American people.”

Zoe Lofgren, Judiciary Committee member

Lofgren has more experience than any other House Democrat on impeachment because this is the third time she is involved in such proceedings. The California congresswoman served as a Judiciary Committee staff member during the impeachment investigation of Richard Nixon in 1974, and she defended Bill Clinton during his 1999 impeachment trial. Lofgren was initially skeptical of moving forward with impeachment, arguing in June that the case hadn’t been made against Trump. Her mind changed after the Ukraine revelations. Lofgren, in her 13th term, is the chairwoman of the House Administration Committee that oversees election-related matters.

Val Demings, Judiciary and Intelligence Committee member

The Florida representative brings 27 years of law enforcement experience to her role as manager. She served as Orlando’s first female police chief before coming to Congress. The second-term moderate belongs to the New Democrat Coalition and the Congressional Black Caucus. Her dual role on the Judiciary and Intelligence committees made her a fixture in questioning witnesses during both panels’ impeachment hearings last year. “I understand that the politics of impeachment are difficult for many senators. But I have not written off the Senate. Each senator still has the power to do the right thing,” she said in a statement Wednesday.

Jason Crow, Armed Services Committee member

A first-term Democrat from Colorado, Crow is a surprise pick to be an impeachment manager. Crow represents a swing district where the trial may prove unpopular, and he wasn’t on any committee involved in the investigation. A former Army Ranger, Crow earned a law degree from the University of Denver and worked at Holland & Hart. Crow spearheaded a letter calling for the impeachment inquiry after the Ukraine saga emerged. Crow said he expects his role will be to address the national security risks of Trump’s actions regarding Ukraine. “With my background and service to this country in the national security arena I can speak to that in a very personal way,” he said.

Sylvia Garcia, Judiciary Committee member

The freshman Texas Democrat is a member of the Judiciary Committee, where she played an active role in crafting the articles of impeachment. The Houston area lawmaker is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. She attended Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University and served as a presiding judge of the Houston Municipal System. As a former judge, she said in an interview Wednesday, her role is “going to be about focusing on the Constitution and making sure we have a fair trial, not a fake trial.”

--With assistance from Billy House.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Wasson in Washington at ewasson@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo

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