In his annual Goddard Riverside town hall, longtime Upper West Side Congressman Jerry Nadler promised sweeping investigations of the Trump administration – likening the role of his powerful Judiciary Committee to that of the Watergate Committee.
Nadler has held a town hall at Goddard RiversideÕs Columbus Avenue senior center every year since his days as a state assemblymember in the 1970s and Ô80s. He conducted the January 23 gathering via live video, because the then-raging government shutdown kept him in Washington.
“We are going to start hearings very quickly,” said Nadler, identifying possible obstruction of justice, abuses of power, violations of the Emoluments Clause and criminal campaign violations as targets of the probes. He added that the hearings would be “open, public and hard-hitting and will essentially fulfill the role that the Watergate Committee filled.”
Nadler became chair of the Judiciary Committee when Democrats won the House in NovemberÕs midterm elections. The committee has jurisdiction over the administration of justice in federal courts, administrative bodies, and law enforcement agencies, and also has the power to determine whether grounds for impeachment exist.
You can watch the entire town hall on video here.
Both neighborhood news outlets, the West Side Spirit and the West Side Rag, sent reporters to the event. See their stories below for a full wrap-up:
Nadler Promises Public Hearings Into Trump; If Mueller Report is Hidden ÔWe Can Invite Mr. Mueller Himself to TestifyÕ Ð Michael McDowell, West Side Rag
Live from Washington: Jerrold Nadler Ð Meredith Kurz, West Side Spirit