JUDY WOODRUFF: It has been a
week unlike any other in recent
years, multiple days of marathon
impeachment hearings with
administration officials past
and present, all in public.
But where does the impeachment
inquiry in the U.S. House
of Representatives go from
here?
Correspondent Lisa
Desjardins sat through every
hour of those hearings.
And she's here now to walk
us through what the next
few weeks might bring.
So, Lisa, it has been a long
week, a lot of hearings.
The hearings ended yesterday
afternoon, but, today,
President Trump weighed in.
LISA DESJARDINS: That's right.
Let's start there.
The president clearly
was paying very close
attention to these hearings.
He had a lot to say this
morning on "FOX & Friends."
You reported his message about
Vice President Mike Pence.
Well, he also spoke
about impeachment.
Let's listen to some
of what he said.
DONALD TRUMP, President of the
United States: Don't forget,
there was no due process.
You can't have lawyers.
We couldn't have any witnesses.
We want to call
the whistle-blower.
But you know who I want
as the first witness?
Because, frankly,
I want a trial.
LISA DESJARDINS: What
he's saying there is, he
doesn't think the House
Intelligence hearings
were fair, he didn't have
representation there, his
lawyers couldn't ask questions.
He says he wants a trial.
Well, Judy, if the House does
vote to impeach, the president,
he will have no choice.
We know from Senate Leader
Mitch McConnell's office that
he does plan to go forward with
a trial.
And there are not enough votes
to prevent that in the Senate.
Even though Republicans
have a majority, they
do not have enough who
feel that a trial should
be blocked.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So procedure
would require it if the
House votes on impeachment.
LISA DESJARDINS: That's right.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So now -- Lisa,
now that these public hearings
seem to be behind us, what
are the next steps?
LISA DESJARDINS: Well, Congress
is gone for Thanksgiving.
So we do not expect any
public hearings, as you're
saying, for next week.
It is possible there could be
some closed-door depositions.
There are a few characters
involved here that
Congress has not been able
to speak to, including
Rudy Giuliani's
associate Lev Parnas.
But it may be that Congress
has no activity, really,
in front of the scenes.
But there is something
that is going to happen
next week on Monday.
A federal judge has said that
they plan to rule on a case
involving president -- the
White House former
counsel Don McGahn.
Now, he was a critical witness
in the Mueller report case,
testifying to what the president
- - he said, the president asked
essentially, in his view, for
Robert Mueller to be fired.
So this is important in
impeachment, because Don
McGahn would testify to
a different impeachment
allegation, obstruction
of justice, if Democrats
want to pursue that.
If a court rules that
he must testify, that
could change timelines.
That could change calculations.
Of course, that could also
continue to be appealed.
But it's something we're going
to watch closely next week.
JUDY WOODRUFF: If
there were a broadened
impeachment inquiry focus.
LISA DESJARDINS: That's right.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Lisa, what
about the committee that's been
in the forefront for these last
few weeks, the
Intelligence Committee?
They still have work
to do, don't they?
LISA DESJARDINS: Right.
Congress is out of town, but
staff is working day and night.
They are getting ready.
They're producing a report.
That report essentially will
be the evidence, as they see
it, against this president.
And it will be a critical
piece of information.
At the same time, we should
expect House Republicans
on the Intelligence
Committee, led by Jim
Jordan and Devin Nunes, to put
together their own report, their
own kind of facts and their
own findings.
What's going to
happen after that?
Those reports will be
presented to the public.
Then the House
Judiciary Committee
will take up the issues.
And, Judy, when the House
Judiciary Committee meets, they
have the right to call public
hearings.
I'm told that we should expect
some, but none of the same
witnesses as we saw this week
from the House
Intelligence Committee.
They say, we feel that
those witnesses' testimony
stands on its own.
Instead, there is
some questioning of
whether we could see
Mueller-related witnesses...
JUDY WOODRUFF: Ah.
LISA DESJARDINS: ... if
the Judiciary Committee
determines that that is
also a case they want
to make for articles
of impeachment.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Back to
the point that you were
making a moment ago.
LISA DESJARDINS: Yes.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, everybody
is curious to know, because we
are coming up on the holidays,
November, December.
What does the calendar look
like, as far as we know?
LISA DESJARDINS: Ah.
You know I love a
good calendar graphic.
Our producer Jesse (ph)
helped put this together too.
Let's take a look.
Well, first of all, they're
putting the report together now.
We expect the report to
go to Judiciary -- the
Judiciary Committee that
first week of December.
Then we expect those
hearings, very likely those
first two weeks of December.
And, listen, Judy, that's
not just public hearings.
That's also an important event,
which will be the marking up
of the articles of impeachment
themselves.
That will be line-for-line
edits, potential amending
of those articles.
After that happens in
House Judiciary, if it
votes to forward the
articles of impeachment
to the floor, this is the
timeline likely, that week
of December 20 right there.
So it could happen very quickly.
Democrats are on track right now
to have that full House floor
vote by the end of December.
Judy, also, in that same
week, though, that's
when the government
funding bill runs out.
There's a Democratic debate
that we are hosting that week.
JUDY WOODRUFF: That's right.
LISA DESJARDINS: It is a
very high-profile week.
A lot is being crammed in there.
But this is the likely
schedule right now.
Our viewers should be
ready for a very busy
and intense December.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Not your usual
period running up into Christmas
and New Year's and so forth.
LISA DESJARDINS: Not at all.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Lisa
Desjardins, an incredible week.
Thank you so much
for all your work.
LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome.
My honor.