The Qvaitican House Committee on the Judiciary, a 40-member committee, began a hearing putting the following people on trial: President Gabriel West, Vice President Dominic Frost, Secretary of Defense Johnathon Victor, Secretary of Intelligence and Security Victor Cutter, Secretary of Immigration Hayden Everett, and Director of National Intelligence Emilio Greene.

Franklin Issa, the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said, "We are to investigate the planned, unauthorized military operation that sought to invade Sporaltryus. The following six people are under congressional investigation and are at risk of being charged with conspiring against a fellow SCO member, a high crime in the Pacific Republic of Qvait: President Gabriel West, Vice President Dominic Frost, Secretary of Defense Johnathon Victor, Secretary of Intelligence and Security Victor Cutter, Secretary of Immigration Hayden Everett, and Director of National Intelligence Emilio Greene. We shall now begin with an opening statement from the accused."

President Gabriel West leaned forward to the microphone in front of him, "Mr. Chairman, this trial is a sham. I did not commit any crime. Operation Affirmed is not an offensive operation but rather a defensive operation. If anything, this trial is to get back at me for 'betraying' the Conservative Party by submitting an application for membership to the Southern Socialist Union." Secretary Victor Cutter then leaned into his microphone, "Mr. Chairman, I will not allow the President to speak on my behalf, as I did not support the executive authorization of the operation." Secretary Hayden Everett leaned into his microphone and said, "I concur with Secretary Cutter." After the two secretaries spoke, the President gave a long look at the two. Chairman Issa said, "Very well, we will sort out this situation here and now."

After a small pause and reorganization of papers, Mr. Christian Wayne said, "At the moment, we have six people who are on trial for a high crime against the Southern Cooperation Organisation. I want to make sure that we sort out the innocent from the guilty. As such, I want to administer a poll that may only be answered by the six of you. Those of you who supported this operation, raise your hand." Immediately, President West, Vice President Frost, Secretary Victor, and Director Greene rose their hands. "Those who opposed?" Right then, Secretaries Cutter and Everett raised their hands.

Mr. Randolph Furrow then spoke, "Okay, we need to know who authored this document." He raised the document containing the details of the operation. Director Greene said, "That would be me." Immediately after Director Greene stopped, Mr. Furrow asked, "And who authorized this operation?" The director said, "The President." Furrow replied, "Did Secretary Cutter have any knowledge of this operation when you were seeking authorization?" Director Greene responded, "No, I avoided presenting this operation to Secretary Cutter, so I went straight to the President in the absence of Secretary Cutter."

Furrow then turned his attention to Secretary Cutter, "Secretary Cutter, when did you learn of the existence of this operation?" Secretary Cutter said, "I did not know about this operation until after the President authorized it." Furrow continued, "Can you give me an estimate of the duration of time between learning of the existence of the operation and the presidential authorization?" Secretary Cutter said, "I would say about 96 hours." Mr. Furrow asked, "Four days?" Secretary Cutter said, "Yes."

Mr. Louis Finnewick asked, "Mr. President, who was in attendance during the authorization of the operation?" President West said, "Myself, Director Greene, and Secretary Victor." Mr. Finnewick asked, "To clarify, you are talking about Secretary Johnaton Victor, not Secretary Victor Cutter?" President West said, "Yes." Chairmain Issa siad, "Well, we may be lenient with Secretaries Cutter and Everett if their involvement is really what we hear, but in the next meeting, which is on Friday, former ISDS employee Timothy Carlson, who is expected to be pardoned by the Supreme Court tomorrow, will be here to answer unresolved questions and perhaps corroborate Secretaries Cutter and Everett's innocence. As for you four," the chairman pointed at President West, Vice President Frost, Secretary Victor, and Director Greene, "We will scrutinize the four of you and you will explain yourselves on Friday."

Mr. Franklin Issa said, "Today is Friday, 26 June. The second session of this trial shall begin. Today, after the pardoning of Timothy Carlson yesterday, Mr. Carlson is attending the trial to testify before the House Committee on the Judiciary." Mr. Derrick Weston said, "Well, I would to start by asking how you, Mr. Carlson, acquired this document." Leaning into his microphone, Timothy Carlson said, "It was on Tuesday, 23 June, that I had acquired the document. At the time, I was the Assistant Secretary of the Director at the MacArthur Knight Center of Intelligence. After the Director left his office, I entered to tidy the room and that is when I saw the encoded version of the document. It was in a folder with "core secret" labeled in red diagonally across it."

Mr. Weston interrupted, "Hold on, as easy as that? You waltzed in there and managed to acquire the file?" Carlson said, "Yes." Mr. Weston said, "Well surely, serious changes need to be made to ISDS protocol, but that, in of itself, is a different discussion for another time. Anyway, you have acquired it, and it was circulated online, am I correct?" Carlson said, "Yes."

Mrs. Lilya Popov, the Ranking Member of the committee, said, "I would like to shift gears and hear from the Vice President. You were there when Director Greene brought this document to the President, yes?" Dominic Frost said, "Yes." Mrs. Popov asked, "What did you think when he gave it to the President and told him what it was?" Frost said, "I didn't think anything of it." Mrs. Popov pressed on, "So you weren't aware that it was illegal?" Frost responded, "Well, how in the hell is it illegal? If you are even implying that this was a violation of Sporaltryus's sovereignty, I would like to remind you that they did that to us not so long ago. If anything, this serves as vengeance for killing thousands of Qvaiticans in the First War in the Pacific." Mr. Furrow said, "An eye-for-an-eye makes the world blind."

Mr. Johnson Douglas said, "That is a backward way of looking at things. Did you ever stop to think of being the better man? Make this country look better because it would never impede the sovereignty of another nation? I don't think so. Because of the actions of the four of you, Qvait's reputation in the world has forever been tarnished and we are facing a potential expulsion from the Southern Cooperation Organisation. It is my belief that the SCO is the best thing that has ever happened to this country, and I'm not going to let anyone, including you four, from messing it up. However, I did let it happen, by voting for you. If you thought that this operation would have made the world better, then you have sorely mistaken. I have never been so outraged in my life."

Ms. Dusty Watson said, "However, I want to go deeper in this investigation. President West, what was the use of Operation Affirmed? I mean, you were doing everything you could to ensure peace in the region. If that was so, how could you have authorized this operation?" The President said, "Operation Affirmed was supposed to be a last resort. If peace was not ensured, then Operation Affirmed would have been activated."

Ms. Watson turned her attention to Secretary Cutter, "Secretary Cutter, did you, at any time, deem Sporaltryus to be a threat to the security of Qvait?" Secretary Cutter said, "Yes." Ms. Watson continued, "Care to elaborate?" Secretary Cutter said, "Sure. As you already know, we were at war with Sporaltryus during the First War in the Pacific in the fall of 2014. Since then, Sporaltryus was under close watch by the Intelligence Service for Defense and Security and we were and still are scared that an armed attack by Sporaltryus is possible." Ms. Watson asked, "However, you still opposed this operation?" Secretary Cutter said, "Yes, it is my belief that diplomacy is better than confrontation. In my view, this operation was all about undermining the sovereignty of another nation."

Mr. Aaron Davis said, "Secretary Everett, you have not been asked to speak yet. I want to know how you came to know of the existence of this operation." Secretary Everett said, "Thank you, Mr. Davis. I learned of the operation's existence through Secretary Cutter when he informed the rest of the Cabinet about the operation." Mr. Davis asked, "Is this true, Secretary Cutter?" Secretary Cutter said, "Yes." Mr. Davis asked, "Even though it was illegal to proliferate the information of highly-classified material?" Secretary Cutter replied, "Yes, I knew that the operation was illegal, so I believe that it would therefore not be illegal to proliferate it. Is that how Mr. Carlson was pardoned?" Chairman Issa said, "Mr. Davis, these three people," Chairman Issa referenced Secretaries Cutter and Everett and Timothy Carlson, "did what was morally-correct. Let's not prosecute them for proliferating this document, however classified it may be." Mr. Davis said, "So be it."

Chairman Issa said, "I think we have enough information to start a vote. This is how we will vote, each member will either vote "aye," in favor of impeachment, "nay," against impeachment, or will abstain. This vote will be done individually, one separate vote on the impeachment of the President, and five others for the four secretaries and the Director of National Intelligence. These votes will not impeach the officeholders, but will bring the matter to the House of Representatives, then the Senate. All that is needed for the matter to reach the House is a two-thirds majority. On the matter of impeaching President Gabriel West, I vote aye. Mrs. Popov?"

One by one, the members vote. In the end, the members voted 49–1 in favor of impeaching the President, 37–3 in favor of impeaching the Vice President, 34–7 in favor of impeaching the Secretary of Defense, 50–0 in favor of impeaching the Director of National Intelligence, 49–1 in opposition of impeaching the Secretary of Intelligence and Security, and 40–0 in opposition of impeaching the Secretary of Immigration. With the votes tallied, the impeachment of President Gabriel West, Vice President Dominic Frost, Secretary Johnathon Victor, and Director Emilio Greene will be voted on in the Qvaitican Congress.

Shortly after the end of the trial, President West, Vice President Frost, Secretary Victor, and Director Greene announced that they were resigning, effective 12:00 p.m. tomorrow. On 27 June, House Speaker Aaron McBane, who is second behind Vice President Frost in the line of succession, will be sworn in as the seventh President of Qvait.