Impeachment live updates: House to vote Wednesday to send impeachment articles against Trump to the Senate
The crux of the Democrats’ case is the allegation that Trump tried to leverage a White House meeting and military aid, sought by Ukraine to combat Russian military aggression, to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch an investigation of former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, as well as a probe of an unfounded theory that Kyiv conspired with Democrats to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.
●Top Senate Republicans reject Trump’s renewed call for immediate dismissal of impeachment charges.
●Russian spies hacked Ukrainian gas company at heart of Trump impeachment trial, company says.
●Trump amplifies incendiary tweets about Pelosi after her comments on Iran protests.
Which senators support removing Trump | Which House members voted to impeach Trump | House resolution impeaching Trump | Other key documents
Trump tentatively plans to attend economic forum in Davos
Trump plans to attend the World Economic Forum gathering next week in Davos, Switzerland, White House officials said Tuesday, although the trip remains somewhat tentative.
Organizers of the annual economic chatfest said they expect the U.S. president to be a headline speaker on Jan. 21, the likely start date of the Senate’s impeachment trial of Trump.
The Davos trip could be canceled “depending on a number of factors,” one White House official said.
Trump attended for the first time in 2018 but canceled a planned appearance last year because of the government shutdown.
The WEF website includes Trump as a featured speaker for the four-day event this year.
Several other world leaders are expected to attend. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had planned to attend, but organizers said Tuesday that he had pulled out.
“We have to understand the cancellation from Iran Foreign Minister Zarif against the backdrop of uncertainty in the region and what is unfolding in Iran,” WEF President Borge Brende said at a news conference previewing the event, which is marking its 50th anniversary.
The White House had previously announced that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trump advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump would attend.
Schumer reiterates demand that ‘president’s own men’ testify as witnesses
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) continued to argue Tuesday for testimony from fact witnesses with firsthand knowledge of Trump’s conduct as well as new documents.
“All we’re asking is for the president’s own men, his appointees, to come forward and tell their side of the story,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
Schumer also rejected Republican claims that Democrats want to call witnesses only to further damage the president. He said that isn’t the case because the Democrats have no idea what those witnesses would say.
Schumer has asked for four witnesses: acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, former national security adviser John Bolton, senior Mulvaney adviser Robert Blair and Office of Management and Budget official Michael Duffey.
“These are the president’s top advisers. They are appointed by him, vetted by him, they work with him,” Schumer said. “We don’t know what those witnesses will say or what the documents will reveal. They could hurt the president’s case or they could help the president’s case. We don’t know, but we know one thing, we want the truth.”
Jeffries confirms plans for transmitting impeachment articles
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, confirmed to reporters Tuesday that Pelosi intends to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate “at some point tomorrow.”
Jeffries, speaking at a news conference, said the House impeachment managers would be named before Wednesday’s vote on the resolution that will trigger a Senate trial.
He said Democrats plan to remain focused on “the stunning abuse of power” by Trump.
“He abused his power and obstructed a constitutionally inspired impeachment inquiry,” Jeffries said. “No one is above the law. … The next step is simple: The Senate should hold a fair trial.”
In response to a question, Jeffries said no decision has been made about whether the House will subpoena former national security adviser John Bolton.
Bolton, who declined to participate in the House impeachment proceedings, has since said he is prepared to testify in a Senate trial.
“Nothing has been ruled in, nothing has been ruled out, but at the moment the ball is in he Senate’s court,” Jeffries said.
McConnell knocks Pelosi during Senate floor speech
McConnell took aim at Pelosi during remarks Tuesday on the House floor, objecting to comments she made over the weekend in which she characterized Trump as “impeached for life.”
“Last weekend on television the speaker bragged that this president is impeached for life regardless of what the Senate does,” McConnell said. “Regardless of what the Senate does, as if the ultimate verdict were sort of an afterthought.”
McConnell also knocked Pelosi for having tried to steer reporters away from asking questions about impeachment at a news conference last month.
“For goodness’ sake, the very morning after the House’s historic vote, Speaker Pelosi literally chastised reporters for asking too many questions about impeachment. She tried to change the subject to economic policy! … Really? You impeach a president of the United States, and the very next morning, there’s nothing to see here? Does that sound like a speaker of the House who really thinks the survival of the republic is on the line?”
McConnell also blasted House Democrats for presenting what he called a “half-baked” impeachment resolution and pressing the Senate to call witnesses that were not part of House proceedings.
“Two things cannot be both true,” McConnell said during remarks on the Senate floor. “House Democrats’ case cannot simultaneously be so robust that it was enough to impeach in the first place but also so weak that the Senate needs to go fishing. If the existing case is so strong, there’s no need for the judge and the jury to reopen the investigation. If the existing case is weak, House Democrats should not have impeached in the first place.”
House GOP member says Senate Democrats running for president should recuse from trial
Rep. Jason T. Smith (R-Mo.) said during a GOP leadership news conference that the four Democratic senators running for president should recuse themselves from participating in the trial.
“I think a question that needs to be asked is, ‘Will the four candidates for office, for president of the United States, be impartial jurors?’ ” Smith, the House Republican conference secretary, said at new conference with other GOP leaders. “Four people trying to fire the president of the United States in the election process, how can they be impartial jurors sitting through that process? I hope they decide to recuse themselves. That is what’s proper, that is what is fitting.”
Democrats have similar complaints about McConnell, who is working with White House counsel on the parameters of the trial and has said plainly that he isn’t impartial despite his role as juror.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) suggested that he’s concerned about the fairness in the Democratic primary, reiterating an unfounded claim he made Sunday that Pelosi intentionally held the articles of impeachment to harm presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and boost Biden because Sanders will be stuck in Washington instead of campaigning in Iowa.
“If there’s anyone who gained from this, it’s anyone who is running for president who is not in the U.S. Senate,” McCarthy said. “With Iowa quickly upon us, those four senators will no longer have a voice.”
McCarthy then called on Biden to suspend campaigning during the Senate trial.
House to vote Wednesday to send impeachment articles against Trump to the Senate
Pelosi announced that the House would vote Wednesday on a measure appointing House managers and transmitting the articles of impeachment to the Senate, allowing a trial to begin this week.
The speaker made the announcement during a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning of House Democrats, according to three officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of the private meeting.
The House on Dec. 18 impeached Trump on two charges — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Pelosi had held on to the charges as she sought assurances that the Senate would call witnesses, but decided late last week to transmit them without an agreement.
The House impeachment managers were not named during Tuesday’s meeting.
Cruz says acquittal better than dismissal for Trump
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) argued Tuesday that a verdict of not guilty would be a “much better outcome” for Trump in the Senate than the “outright dismissal” he has sought in recent days.
“We’re going to reach a verdict, and the verdict is going to be acquittal,” Cruz said during an appearance on Fox News. “That is a much better outcome for the president, to be acquitted of these charges than simply a dismissal.”
On Monday, senior Republicans said immediate dismissal could not win approval in the chamber, where Republicans hold a 53-seat majority.
Trump, in a post Sunday that he also retweeted on Monday, made clear that he was still pressing for the Senate to dismiss the charges. “Many believe that by the Senate giving credence to a trial based on the no evidence, no crime, read the transcripts, ‘no pressure’ Impeachment Hoax, rather than an outright dismissal, it gives the partisan Democrat Witch Hunt credibility that it otherwise does not have. I agree!” he wrote.
Gidley says White House likely to assert executive privilege to limit testimony
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Tuesday that the White House is “happy for anyone to come forward and testify” during a Senate trial but added that the president’s lawyers would probably invoke executive privilege to limit testimony.
Trump in recent days has advocated for the “outright dismissal” of his case, a move that leading Republicans rejected Monday, signaling they want to hear arguments from House prosecutors and Trump’s legal team.
Asked on Fox News about a number of GOP senators who have expressed interest in hearing from witnesses during the trial, Gidley said, “It’s not even over to the Senate yet, so I hate to talk about hypotheticals, but let’s be clear, the president is not afraid of a fight.”
Gidley said the White House is prepared for whatever unfolds.
“Whether this thing goes to a full trial, whether it’s modified or whether it’s just dismissed out of hand for the sham, illegitimate scam it has become, we will be ready,” he said.
Asked about the prospect of former national security adviser John Bolton testifying, Gidley said, “We don’t really care who comes forward because the president has done nothing wrong.”
“We’re happy for anyone to come forward and testify,” Gidley added. “There are obviously rules of executive privilege that past administrations have exerted. We will most likely do the same thing.”
Cotton says trial won’t be ‘one-sided’ with witnesses only called by Democrats
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said Tuesday that he “can’t imagine” the possibility of former national security adviser John Bolton being the only witness called during a Senate trial, suggesting that would be unfair to Trump.
“I can’t imagine that scenario,” Cotton told syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt when asked if the witness list could be “Bolton and nobody else.” (Hewitt is a Washington Post opinion columnist.)
“I can just assure you and all your listeners that it will not be a one-sided proceeding where only the Democrats have a chance to even attempt to call witnesses,” Cotton said.
Rep. Jordan says he’s still willing to help Trump legal team at Senate trial
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said Tuesday that he remains willing to assist Trump’s legal team in a Senate trial.
“I’d gladly do it, but that’s a call for other people,” Jordan said during an appearance on Fox News.
House GOP leaders in recent weeks have advocated for Trump’s most aggressive defenders in their chamber — including Jordan — to cross the Rotunda and help White House counsel Pat A. Cipollone rebut the charges against the president.
But McConnell and his fellow GOP senators have expressed concerns to Trump that a House-led defense could offend Senate moderates. Trump, they argue, has already won the backing of the GOP base, so he and his team need to focus on ensuring Republican unity on an acquittal.
During the interview, Jordan also argued that if Democrats are successful in calling witnesses they want during a Senate trial, Republicans should call witnesses they want, including the whistleblower whose anonymous complaint sparked the impeachment inquiry.
Rep. Jeffries says McConnell running Senate like ‘a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration’
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, on Tuesday accused McConnell of running the Senate “like it’s a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration.”
His accusation referred to comments made by McConnell last month that he was working in “total coordination” with the White House on the anticipated Senate trial.
Asked during an interview on MSNBC whether he trusts the Senate trial will be fair, Jeffries said he does not.
“There’s no reason to believe that Mitch McConnell will ever change his perspective as it relates to essentially running the Senate like it’s a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration,” he said.
Jeffries also defended Pelosi for holding on to the articles of impeachment for several weeks, noting that several GOP senators have indicated in recent days that they are interested in hearing from witnesses.
“So that’s progress that hadn’t necessarily taken place,” Jeffries said.
Trump heading to Wisconsin for campaign rally
As the impeachment process moves forward on Capitol Hill, Trump plans to head to Wisconsin on Tuesday for a “Keep America Great” campaign rally.
In the past, he has used such rallies to air his grievances about the impeachment process and the Democrats leading it.
Trump carried Wisconsin by less than a percentage point against Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. The state is key to the Republican nominee’s chances next year.
Trump is scheduled to take the stage in Milwaukee at 7 p.m. local time, shortly before the Democratic debate in Des Moines — the last before the Iowa caucuses — gets underway.
Trump has no other public events on his schedule on Tuesday.
House Democrats to huddle behind closed doors
House Democrats are scheduled to huddle behind closed doors at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to discuss strategy and the timing of the transmission to the Senate of the two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Pelosi has signaled that a vote will take place on a measure that will include the appointment of House impeachment managers by the end of this week but has not specified when it will take place.
Senators are preparing for the formal launch of the trial in coming days. McConnell has said that he wants the trial — only the third impeachment of a president in U.S. history — to follow the format used 21 years ago in the trial of President Bill Clinton.
Under those rules, House impeachment managers and lawyers for Trump would first give opening statements and then senators would have an opportunity to present written questions to both sides. Only at that point would the Senate decide whether to call witnesses.
Republicans are maneuvering behind the scenes about that vexing issue, after former national security adviser John Bolton said last week that he would be willing to testify if he receives a Senate subpoena.
The House voted Dec. 18 to impeach Trump, but Pelosi has held the two articles as she sought concessions from McConnell on witnesses. He refused to budge and Pelosi relented last week.
Pelosi compares Trump’s response to impeachment to Clinton’s
In a predawn tweet Tuesday, Pelosi shared a chart that seeks to make the case for the obstruction of Congress charge against Trump by comparing how he responded to the impeachment inquiry to how President Bill Clinton responded in 1998.
This is why President Trump was impeached for obstruction of Congress, and why a Senate trial with no witnesses or documents is a cover-up. #EndTheCoverUp #DefendOurDemocracy pic.twitter.com/w9Gl5VmjBu
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 14, 2020
The chart, for example, says that Trump blocked 12 “key” witnesses from testifying while Clinton did not block any. It also says that Clinton produced 90,000 pages of documents relevant to his inquiry while Trump has produced none.
“This is why President Trump was impeached for obstruction of Congress, and why a Senate trial with no witnesses or documents is a cover-up,” Pelosi said in her tweet.
Trump thanks Sen. Rick Scott for disparaging Pelosi
Trump went on Twitter after midnight as he flew back from the national college football game in New Orleans to share a clip from a television interview in which Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) disparaged Pelosi for holding on to the articles of impeachment.
“Clearly, what’s Pelosi’s done is just a circus,” Scott said during a clip of an appearance on CNBC on Monday. “It’s a sham. I mean, she said it was so important to get it done back in December, didn’t have time to have witnesses come, and now she wants to tell us how to do the trial in the Senate. … We’re playing this game that Pelosi has. She just hates Trump.”
In his own words, Trump added: “Thank you to Rick Scott. This Impeachment Hoax is an outrage!”
Talks underway for Trump to visit India as impeachment heats up
NEW DELHI — Indian and U.S. officials are discussing a potential visit by Trump to New Delhi as early as next month, two people with knowledge of the talks said.
They emphasized that the talks were preliminary and subject to change, particularly in light of the impeachment process in the United States. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
If finalized, the visit would be Trump’s first to India as president. The United States has sought to cultivate India as a partner and potential counterweight to China, and Trump has spoken of his “great admiration” for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In September, the two men appeared together, clasping hands and smiling, at a rally Modi held for Indian Americans in Houston.
Read more here.
Impeachment: What you need to read
Here’s what you need to know to understand the impeachment of President Trump.
What’s happening now: Trump is now the third U.S. president to be impeached, after the House of Representatives adopted both articles of impeachment against him.
What happens next: Impeachment does not mean that the president has been removed from office. The Senate must hold a trial to make that determination. A trial is expected to take place in January. Here’s more on what happens next.
How we got here: A whistleblower complaint led Pelosi to announce the beginning of an official impeachment inquiry on Sept. 24. Closed-door hearings and subpoenaed documents related to the president’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky followed. After two weeks of public hearings in November, the House Intelligence Committee wrote a report that was sent to the House Judiciary Committee, which held its own hearings. Pelosi and House Democrats announced the articles of impeachment against Trump on Dec. 10. The Judiciary Committee approved two articles of impeachment against Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Stay informed: Read the latest reporting and analysis on impeachment here.
Listen: Follow The Post’s coverage with daily updates from across our podcasts.
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