Public Trump impeachment hearings set to begin, as Dems predict 'phenomenal week'

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Public Trump impeachment hearings set to begin, as Dems predict 'phenomenal week'
In a pillared House chamber at 10 a.m. ET Wednesday, in the shadow of the 2020 presidential and congressional elections, House Democrats are set to host the first public hearing involving the potential impeachment of a president since Nov. 19, 1998 -- and, they insist, they aren't happy about it. However, behind the scenes, House Democrats were predicting a "phenomenal week," Fox News is told.

At the same time, Republicans have been preparing a methodical and vigorous cross-examination of Democrats' witnesses, whose accounts of President Trump's alleged wrongdoing have been based largely on hearsay and intuition, critics say.

The allegations: With the bang of a gavel, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., will open the impeachment hearings Wednesday into Trump's alleged pressure on Ukraine to investigate 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden's dealings in the country. The former vice president has boasted about pressuring Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor, as his son Hunter Biden held a lucrative role board of a Ukrainian natural gas company despite having little relevant expertise.

An anonymous whistleblower's complaint about Trump's July 25 telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ignited the impeachment investigation. During the hearing Wednesday, a key exchange during that 30-minute call, which has been outlined in a Sept. 24 transcript released by the White House, is expected to take center stage. Democrats say Trump wanted the investigations in exchange for the release of about $400 million in military aid to Ukraine. The president, Democrats allege, tried to use the power of his office to pressure a foreign government into helping him politically.

Zelensky has said he felt no pressure during the call. Trump has said the call was "perfect" and contained no "quid pro quo," or this for that.

Shortly after Schiff's gavel, he and intelligence panel ranking member Devin Nunes, R-Calif., are to begin the questioning. They get 45 minutes each or can designate staff attorneys to ask the questions. Members of the panel will then get five minutes each to question witnesses, alternating between Republicans and Democrats.