Donald Trump
Donald TrumpReuters

The House Judiciary Committee is set to take over the impeachment probe of US President Donald Trump next week, having set a December 4 hearing on the question of "high crimes and misdemeanors" set out in the Constitution.

The opening hearing will feature legal experts who will examine the constitutional grounds as the Judiciary panel decides whether to write articles of impeachment against Trump and if so what those articles will be, reported The Associated Press.

Democrats are aiming for a final House vote by Christmas, which would set the stage for a likely Senate trial in January, according to the report.

Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) said Tuesday that his panel's hearing will "explore the framework put in place to respond to serious allegations of impeachable misconduct."

The impeachment proceedings against Trump were launched by the Democrats in the wake of the President’s controversial conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which he allegedly threatened to withhold aid to Ukraine unless its government investigated actions by former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

However, even if the impeachment is approved by the House of Representatives, it is unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said last week that he cannot envision any scenario in which the Senate would vote to remove Trump from office.

Trump and his lawyers are invited to attend the Judiciary hearing and make a request to question witnesses, according to Democratic rules approved by the House last month. The committee released a letter from Nadler to the president, saying that he hopes Trump will participate, "consistent with the rules of decorum and with the solemn nature of the work before us."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said recently that Trump is welcome to testify before the Intelligence Committee that is leading the impeachment inquiry against him.

The White House, which has criticized the House of Representative's impeachment inquiry, has made clear that Trump “wants to have a trial in the Senate because it’s clearly the only chamber where he can expect fairness and receive due process under the Constitution.”