House Judiciary to hold first impeachment hearing

WASHINGTON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Tuesday invited President Donald Trump and his legal team to its first hearing in the impeachment inquiry, scheduled to take place on Dec. 4, with legal experts as witnesses.

A House Democratic aide declined comment on whether the Judiciary Committee expected it would have received a report on the Intelligence Committee-led investigation into the Trump administration's dealings with Ukraine before the hearing.

Representative Jerrold Nadler, the Democratic chairman of the committee, said in a statement that he had written to Trump to remind him that the committee's rules allow the president to attend the hearing, and for his counsel to question the witnesses.

"At base, the president has a choice to make: he can take this opportunity to be represented in the impeachment hearings, or he can stop complaining about the process. I hope that he chooses to participate in the inquiry, directly or through counsel, as other presidents have done before him."

The chairman of the House Intelligence panel, Representative Adam Schiff, said on Tuesday the committees leading the impeachment probe - Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight - would issue their report on the investigation shortly after lawmakers return to Washington on Dec. 3 from their break for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)