He won't be accepting the invitation to the Judiciary Committee hearing

President Donald Trump and his lawyers will not participate in a congressional impeachment hearing this week, the White House has said, citing a lack of “fundamental fairness”.

  The Guardian

I didn't think they should have invited him in the first place, since this is not yet the trial. But maybe they knew he'd decline, and if he declined, it would add to the impression that he's got no defense.

Trump’s aides responded defiantly on Sunday to the first of two crucial deadlines he faces in Congress this week as Democrats prepare to shift the focus of their impeachment inquiry from fact-finding to the consideration of possible charges of misconduct over his dealings with Ukraine.

[...]

White House counsel Pat Cipollone wrote to committee chairman Jerrold Nadler, according to a copy of a letter seen by Reuters: “We cannot fairly be expected to participate in a hearing while the witnesses are yet to be named and while it remains unclear whether the judiciary committee will afford the president a fair process through additional hearings.”

Lame.

[Judiciary Committee chair Jerry] Nadler also set a second deadline of 5pm on Friday for Trump to say whether he or his legal counsel would participate in further proceedings expected next week to examine evidence against him.

[...]

Democratic US Representative Don Beyer said on Twitter in response to the White House letter: “Not one process complaint made by the president and his Republican allies in Congress so far has turned out to be genuine.”

[...]

The first in a series of expected judiciary proceedings will hear testimony on the impeachment process established under the US constitution from a panel of legal experts that has yet to be named.

Hearings before the committee, which has responsibility for crafting any formal charges against Trump, are a major step toward possible charges.

There'll be charges. I have yet to hear whether the Republicans will now move Gym Jordon to the Judiciary Committee.

“We may consider participating in future judiciary committee proceedings if you afford the administration the ability to do so meaningfully,” Cipollone wrote, laying out a list of demands, including allowing Trump’s Republicans to call additional witnesses.

Cipollone also complained that Democrats had scheduled Wednesday’s hearing – “no doubt purposely” – to overlap with Trump’s absence from the US to attend a Nato summit in London.

Or maybe because that's when they'd all be back from Thanksgiving break?

Three investigating panels, led by the House Intelligence Committee, are due to release a formal report this week when lawmakers return on Tuesday from a Thanksgiving recess. The report will outline evidence gathered by the intelligence, foreign affairs and oversight committees.