Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, joined at left by, Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., Rep. Bradley Schneider, D-Ill., and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., prepare to walk out of the hearing room briefly after waiting Republican members of the committee to arrive more than an hour after the scheduled start time for a markup session, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 26, 2018. The panel was meeting on their months-long standoff with the Justice Department on the request by the Republican-controlled committee for documents related to the origins of the FBI’s Russia investigation and the handling of its probe into Democrat Hillary Clinton’s emails. Democrats charge the subpoena undermines special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s Russia ties and whether there was obstruction of justice. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The House Judiciary Committee steered by Fat Jerry Nadler has announced that it will begin its impeachment hearings on December 4. The first panel will contain various academics who can be counted on to aver that yes, Trump’s actions are worthy of impeachment because #OrangeManBad. He extended a dare, in the form of an invitation, to President Trump or his legal counsel to participate.

Judiciary Chairman Nadler's letter to POTUS inviting him/counsel to the hearing.

It will "serve as an opportunity to discuss the historical & constitutional basis of impeachment as well…terms like high crimes and misdemeanors."

I'm told only legal experts will be testifying. pic.twitter.com/coDGLqoHhE

— Alex Miller (@AlexMillerNews) November 26, 2019

It seems as though the Democrats have noted the damage they’ve done to themselves by allowing Adam Schiff to carry out a hyperpartisan inquiry by the House Intelligence Committee that violated the norms established by the past two presidential impeachments. By having the hearing open and giving Trump the chance to have representation, Nadler thinks he’ll be able to avoid Schiff’s pratfalls.

The White House has two choices. They can play or not play. If they decide to participate in a proceeding that is already scripted, then they take the risk of seeming to endorse the process. If they don’t participate, they take the risk of looking obstinate and lose some of their ability to complain about being shut out of the process.

If they do participate, they have two choices. Take it seriously or use your presence as an opportunity to highlight the partisan nature and preordained outcome of the hearing.

From my standpoint the best tactic is to show up and make life hell for witnesses and Democrats alike and try to create multiple instances where Nadler interferes with the President’s counsel asking questions of witnesses, hammer home the partisanship, declare the proceeding a sham and tell Nadler that you’ll see him in the Senate around Super Tuesday.