House launches formal impeachment inquiry into Trump

Behind closed doors, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not specify to her colleagues today precisely how the impeachment inquiry will play out or divvy up tasks for each of the committees to take on from here. In part, that’s by design.

Here’s what you need to know about what happens next:

The attorneys for the whistleblower who filed a mysterious complaint, which includes allegations about President Trump’s conduct, said they “applaud” the decision by the administration to release the report.

“We applaud the decision to release the whistleblower complaint as it establishes that, ultimately, the lawful whistleblower disclosure process can work. We await the release of the complaint in its totality,” attorneys Andrew Bakaj, I. Charles McCullough, III, and Mark Zaid said in a statement.

Some background: The identity of the whistleblower and the details of the complaint are still unknown to the public. The individual filed the complaint over concerns with what Trump said to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky during a July phone call. The alleged whistleblower didn’t have direct knowledge of the communications that partly prompted the complaint to the inspector general, an official briefed on the matter told CNN on Thursday. Instead, the whistleblower’s concerns came in part from learning information that was not obtained during the course of their work, and those details have played a role in the administration’s determination that the complaint didn’t fit the reporting requirements under the intelligence whistleblower law, the official said.

President Trump made the decision today to release the whistleblower complaint, a source familiar tells CNN. 

It’s unclear what is behind the White House change in position. As of late last week, the White House and the Department of Justice were advising the Office of the Director of National Intelligence not to turn over the complaint to Congress. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told lawmakers today that she pressed Trump during a phone call to release the complaint, CNN previously reported.   

According to two sources familiar, the White House is preparing to release the whistleblower complaint to Congress as early as tomorrow. The complaint is under review and going through declassification, one source said.

Two White House officials downplayed expectations for any bombshells in the release of the call transcript detailing President Trump’s conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Both officials said the transcript is expected to be “underwhelming.” 

One of the officials conceded that makes the release of the whistleblower complaint that much more important. But the official raised questions about the credibility of the administration employee who filed the complaint about Trump’s interactions with Zelensky, referring to the employee as “the so-called whistleblower.”

The White House is preparing to release the whistleblower complaint to Congress as early as tomorrow, according to two sources familiar.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grishams criticized House Democrats in a statement tonight, saying that they have “destroyed any chances of legislative progress for the people of this country by continuing to focus all their energy on partisan political attacks.”

She added that the administration will continue “laying out the facts.”

Here’s her full statement:

“Americans deserve elected officials who focus on key issues to improve the lives of families, strengthen our communities, grow our economy, and keep our country safe. In President Donald J. Trump they have someone who has not only focused on those goals, but delivered results.
In a far departure from all of the work and results of this President, House Democrats have destroyed any chances of legislative progress for the people of this country by continuing to focus all their energy on partisan political attacks. Their attacks on the President and his agenda are not only partisan and pathetic, they are in dereliction of their Constitutional duty.
The Trump Administration will continue to be vigorous in laying out the facts and standing up for the many forgotten men and women who elected him.”

The White House is preparing to release to Congress the whistleblower complaint as early as tomorrow, according to two sources familiar.

One source added it is under review and going through declassification and could be released within hours of the release of a transcript of President Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to a person familiar with the situation, Trump pressed Zelensky in a phone call to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter.

What we know about the whistleblower complaint: CNN had earlier reported, citing a source familiar with the case, that the complaint was prompted by concerns over communications between the President and a foreign leader. The alleged whistleblower didn’t have direct knowledge of the communications that partly prompted the complaint to the inspector general, an official briefed on the matter told CNN on Thursday. Instead, the whistleblower’s concerns came in part from learning information that was not obtained during the course of their work, and those details have played a role in the administration’s determination that the complaint didn’t fit the reporting requirements under the intelligence whistleblower law, the official said.

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, tweeted his support for the House’s formal impeachment inquiry.

“It’s bad enough Trump sought help from a foreign power in the last election,” Schiff said.

His support comes hours after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the formal inquiry, a dramatic and historic move that comes as the President faces outrage over reports that he pressured a foreign leader in an effort to target a political rival.

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar told CNN that President Trump’s phone call with Ukraine’s president was “the straw that broke the camel’s back” for the House deciding to move forward with an impeachment inquiry.

“This particular incident shows that the President clearly thinks he’s above the law. He is withholding aid so he can pressure a foreign country to dig dirt on a potential presidential opponent. That is very unconstitutional and we must hold him responsible,” Omar said.

Calls for an impeachment inquiry have grown louder amid a growing controversy over Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky where he discussed former Vice President Joe Biden.

Of the 235 Democrats in the House, there are at least 172 who’ve made clear they support starting the impeachment inquiry process, while some have gone further, according to a CNN count.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told her caucus today that the impeachment inquiry will be done “expeditiously,” but wasn’t specific in her timeframe, according to a source in the room during the meeting.

Rep. Jackie Speier told CNN that the President’s actions in regards to Ukraine were so egregious, that there has been a “dramatic” shift by Pelosi.

Asked what the timeline is for this, she said, “swiftly.”

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said today after Pelosi’s remarks, “I only have one thing to say, full speed ahead.”

Rep. Ben McAdams of Utah told CNN today that he’s “considering” impeachment, but didn’t want to discuss the issue further.

“Before making any judgments, I want to know the facts of what occurred between the President and Ukraine,” McAdams said. “I share Sen. (Mitt) Romney’s view that If the President used his position to pressure a foreign power to dig up dirt on a rival for his own personal gain, it would be deeply troubling. I believe it would be a betrayal of the loyalty owed to our country and the Constitution.”

Rep. Max Rose, another endangered House Democrat, told CNN that he has not moved off his opposition to impeachment, but argued that “we have to get to the facts” of the allegations.

“It is impossible to not take these allegations seriously. It is a national security matter,” the New York Democrat said Tuesday on Capitol Hill, adding, “It’s incredibly serious … what I’m not going to do is jump to make another declaration.”

Asked if that meant he is opposed to moving ahead on impeachment, Rose said, “My current position right now is clear, but that is not a justification to not take these points as seriously as possible.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his conversations with President Trump are “private and confidential.”

Asked if he wanted the transcript of his phone call with Trump to be released, Zelensky said “We’ll see.”

About the call: According to a person familiar with the situation, Trump pressed Zelensky in a call to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter.

President Trump tweeted just now that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo received permission from Ukraine to release a transcript of his call with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“They don’t know either what the big deal is,” Trump said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called today’s announcement of a formal impeachment inquiry a “rush to judgment” by “Washington Democrats” who are determined to impeach President Trump.

“It simply confirms that House Democrats’ priority is not making life better for the American people but their nearly three-year-old fixation on impeachment,” he said.

Read McConnell’s full statement:

“Washington Democrats have been searching for ways to reverse their 2016 election defeat since before President Trump was even inaugurated.
The result has been a two-and-a-half-year impeachment parade in search of a rationale. When investigations by Special Counsel Mueller and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence deflated their breathless accusations of a campaign conspiracy with Russia, Democrats have simply shifted to new arguments for their predetermined conclusion.
Speaker Pelosi’s much-publicized efforts to restrain her far-left conference have finally crumbled. House Democrats cannot help themselves. Instead of working together across party lines on legislation to help American families and strengthen our nation, they will descend even deeper into their obsession with relitigating 2016.
This rush to judgment comes just a few hours after President Trump offered to release the details of his phone conversation with President Zelensky. It comes despite the fact that committee-level proceedings are already underway to address the whistleblower allegation through a fair, bipartisan, and regular process.
It simply confirms that House Democrats’ priority is not making life better for the American people but their nearly three-year-old fixation on impeachment.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy blasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for launching a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

“Speaker Pelosi happens to be the speaker of this House but she does not speak for America when it comes to this issue. She cannot decide unilaterally what happens here. They have been investigating this President before he even got elected,” he told reporters.

He criticized Democrats for going after Trump, saying, “This election is over.”

“It’s time to put the public before politics,” McCarthy said.

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said in a statement today he is “grateful to Speaker Pelosi” for opening a formal impeachment inquiry.

“We all must come to terms with what we face: a lawless president who has obstructed justice and undermined our democracy by inviting a foreign power to intervene in 2016, and who is doing it again in 2020,” O’Rourke said.

Here’s his full statement:

“I am grateful to Speaker Pelosi for opening an impeachment inquiry into President Trump. 
For more than two years, even as I was running for Senate in Texas, I have been clear that I support impeachment. We all must come to terms with what we face: a lawless president who has obstructed justice and undermined our democracy by inviting a foreign power to intervene in 2016, and who is doing it again in 2020.
This is a defining moment for our country. I believe our nation will rise to it — but only if we stop worrying about polls and start doing what’s right. Many are concerned that impeachment will further tear this country apart. I believe the opposite — that this process can be what finally begins to unite this nation once again. Because before we are anything else, we are all Americans first. And if we believe no one is above the law, if we believe our democracy is worth defending — from enemies foreign and domestic — then we must impeach President Trump. 
At this defining moment, history is calling on us to do the right thing, and it is on each and every one of us to save this democracy before it’s too late.”

Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale slammed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to launch a formal impeachment inquiry, calling it “misguided.”

“Democrats have officially paved the way for a @realDonaldTrump landslide victory,” Parscale tweeted.

Read the Trump campaign statement:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, told reporters this afternoon that she believes President Trump has committed “several impeachable offenses.”

On Trump’s remarks that he did order his aides to withhold aid from Ukraine, Ocasio-Cortez, an often-vocal proponent for impeachment, said: “What he has already admitted to is an impeachable offense.”

Asked if she thought the caucus was being too slow by waiting this long to open the impeachment inquiry, Ocasio-Cortez said, “Honestly, at this point it doesn’t matter. We’re moving forward with it now.”

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris took to Twitter to react to calls for impeachment.

“Donald Trump has abused his power, obstructed justice, and violated his oath of office. He puts his political interests over our national interest. I agree with @SpeakerPelosi — no one is above the law. He must be impeached,” the California senator tweeted.

The US Senate voted unanimously today for the whistleblower complaint to be provided to Congress, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted.

“That means every GOP Senator supports the whistleblower report being immediately provided to the Senate and House Intel Committees,” the New York Democrat said.

Here’s the tweet:

Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker said he supports House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

Booker, a Democratic senator from New Jersey, said in a statement that the inquiry is “our one remaining path to ensuring justice is served.”

Read his full statement:

“What we’re facing isn’t a political issue, it’s a moral one. In 2016, Trump openly welcomed foreign adversaries to meddle in our democracy for his own political gain. Now, by his own admission, he appears to be using the same playbook to undermine our democratic institutions and remain in power. 
The President took an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. Instead, his words and actions have served to undermine it, along with the very ideals of our nation. We as lawmakers have a responsibility to do the right thing — and today, I support speaker Pelosi’s leadership and applaud her announcement of a formal impeachment inquiry. It’s our one remaining path to ensuring justice is served.”

President Trump took to Twitter just minutes after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the start of a formal impeachment inquiry by the House, calling it “more breaking news Witch Hunt garbage.”

He followed that tweet up with another in which he named several top House Democrats and asked, “Can you believe this?”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi just announced Congress is launching a formal impeachment inquiry.

“The President must be held accountable. No one is above the law,” she said.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is making an announcement. You can watch this live above or follow here.

This comes after news that President Trump pressed Ukraine’s president in a call to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, a person familiar with the situation said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking to her caucus behind closed doors this afternoon, said she told President Trump this morning to release the whistleblower’s complaint, according to two sources in the room.  

A separate source in the room said Pelosi added: “Here we are. A moment of truth. Truth is what this has been about all along.” She said, “The DNI has chosen to break the law. The law is clear,” and added, “This is a betrayal of our national security. A betrayal of our election.” 

According to two other sources, Pelosi also said, “We will have an impeachment inquiry.”

About the whistleblower’s complaint: CNN had earlier reported, citing a source familiar with the case, that the complaint was prompted by concerns over communications between the President and a foreign leader. The alleged whistleblower didn’t have direct knowledge of the communications that partly prompted the complaint to the inspector general, an official briefed on the matter told CNN on Thursday. Instead, the whistleblower’s concerns came in part from learning information that was not obtained during the course of their work, and those details have played a role in the administration’s determination that the complaint didn’t fit the reporting requirements under the intelligence whistleblower law, the official said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Vice President Joe Biden have not spoken today or in recent days about the prospect of opening an impeachment inquiry into President Trump, aides to both Democrats say.

Pelosi has been focusing on her Democratic members of Congress, an aide says, holding countless conversations with them. She has not been discussing this with presidential candidates.

Earlier today, Biden said he believes Trump has left Congress “no choice but to initiate impeachment.”

Some background: Trump admitted Monday that he delayed aid to Ukraine ahead of a call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, when he pushed the leader to look into Biden and his son’s work.

In a video posted on his official Facebook page from the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said the United States supports Ukraine but notably did not mention the ongoing questions on his phone call with President Trump that took place in the summer.

“The most important thing is that we all should understand that the United States supports Ukraine. They do not just help — because we are a different country now, we need to be powerful — that is why support at the geopolitical level and investment support are important,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky also mentioned he plans to invite Trump to Ukraine.

“I expect us to have awesome relations with the United States. I expect us to invite Donald Trump to visit Ukraine. I would like the leaders of the countries to come and see how great Ukraine is. One should believe not the words, but the eyes,” he said.

CNN has repeatedly attempted to reach out to Ukraine’s presidential team for comment on the the telephone conversation with Trump.

The number of House Democrats who support an impeachment inquiry into President Trump is increasing.

Of the 235 Democrats in the House, there are at least 161 who’ve made clear they support starting the impeachment inquiry process, while some have gone further, according to a CNN count.

Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a former Republican who has since become an independent, has also called for impeachment proceedings, bringing the total number of representatives to 162.

Read a full list of those Democrats here.

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang took to Twitter to react to calls for impeachment.

Yang said he thinks “impeachment is the right path forward.”

“Given the President’s latest actions I think impeachment is the right path forward. Asking foreign leaders for political help in return for aid and then suppressing your own agency’s inquiry is egregious. There have to be limits and Congress is right to act,” Yang tweeted.

Democratic Rep. Richard Neal said each of the six committees will continue to investigate under the umbrella of an impeachment inquiry. 

“The other committees are going to act under the umbrella of formal inquiry,” Neal, the chairman of House Ways and Ways Committee, told CNN who just left House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.

Pelosi was scheduled to meet with the chairmen of six committees that are investigating the President, according to Democratic sources.

President Trump announced earlier today that he planned to release a transcript of his call with Ukraine’s president tomorrow.

The release of the transcript follows days of internal debate inside the administration over whether it would be a wise move to do so.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and officials close to the White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney argued against releasing the transcript of the call, according to multiple sources, arguing primarily that it would set a bad precedent and undermine Trump’s presidential powers to conduct foreign policy.

But others — including Attorney General Bill Barr — encouraged Trump to lean into the sunlight. Attorneys at the Department of Justice and in the White House Counsel’s Office advocated for the release of the transcript since last Thursday, according to an official briefed on the matter.

That debate, and Trump’s competing instincts on the issue, often played out in public view.

On Sunday news programs, Pompeo argued “it wouldn’t be appropriate” to release calls between Trump and another foreign leader except under “the most extreme circumstances.” And Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said it “would be a terrible precedent. 

But hours later, Trump argued it would be “fine” to release the transcript — even as he took two more days to make up his mind.

The White House said reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will announce a formal impeachment inquiry are “nothing new.”

“The Democrats continue to weaponize politics when they should be working on behalf of their constituents, which is nothing new,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. “President Trump is working hard on behalf of our country here in NYC while they continue to scream the word impeachment. Nothing new here.”  

Former Vice President and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden said he can “take the political attacks” — but cautioned that President Trump’s actions could have repercussions that will last forever.

Biden went on to push Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against Trump.

“Donald Trump will leave Congress, in my view, no choice but to initiate impeachment. That would be a tragedy, but a tragedy of his own making,” Biden said.

Some background: Trump admitted Monday that he delayed aid to Ukraine ahead of a call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, when he pushed the leader to look into Biden and his son’s work.

Former Vice President Joe Biden called on Congress to investigate President Trump.

“Denying Congress the information, which it is constitutionally entitled to, and obstructing its efforts to investigate actions is not the conduct of an American president. It’s an abuse of power,” Biden said.

“Donald Trump will leave Congress, in my view, no choice but to initiate impeachment. That would be a tragedy, but a tragedy of his own making,” Biden said.

He added that Congress should demand the information they need to investigate Trump.

“I can take the political attacks. They’ll come and they’ll go, and in time they’ll soon be forgotten, but if we allow a president to get away with shredding the United States constitution, that will last forever,” Biden said.

Watch here:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to announced a formal impeachment inquiry later today, according to multiple Hill sources.

An hour before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to convene her caucus to discuss next steps on investigations, President Trump is railing against Congressional inaction on gun control and healthcare – topics on which his administration has stonewalled, as well.   

Trump’s tweet comes less than an hour after he announced he would be releasing an unredacted transcript of his call with the Ukrainian president tomorrow.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said it’s “premature” to discuss what the Senate might do if President Trump is impeached in the House.

He said he was “never given an explanation” why the aid to Ukraine was held up even as he was pressing administration officials to release the aid.

McConnell said they were “going to find out what happened” in terms of the whistleblower’s allegations through the “apolitical” Senate Intelligence Committee process.

Asked if the Senate would take up articles of impeachment if they were sent over from the House, McConnell said he was not going to discuss all “various hypotheticals that have been aired out about what may or may not happen in the House” and said it was “premature” to consider. 

Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, just tweeted that the whistleblower’s attorney has informed the committee that he would like to testify. 

The testimony, he said, could happen as soon as this week.

About the whistleblower’s complaint: CNN had earlier reported, citing a source familiar with the case, that the complaint was prompted by concerns over communications between the President and a foreign leader. The alleged whistleblower didn’t have direct knowledge of the communications that partly prompted the complaint to the inspector general, an official briefed on the matter told CNN on Thursday. Instead, the whistleblower’s concerns came in part from learning information that was not obtained during the course of their work, and those details have played a role in the administration’s determination that the complaint didn’t fit the reporting requirements under the intelligence whistleblower law, the official said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was just speaking about President Trump’s announcement that he will release a transcript of his call with Ukraine’s president and whether her caucus will stand out of it turns out to be less harmful.

Pelosi made it clear that “it’s not about that.”

Here’s what she said:

“This is about the Constitution of the United States and many other, shall we say candidates of impeachable offense in terms of the Constitution of the United States. But this is the most understandable by the public. And It’s really important to know this. There is no requirement there be a quid pro quo in the conversation. If the President brings up he wants them to investigate something, that’s to — of his political opponent, that is self-evident that it is not right. You don’t ask foreign governments to help us in our election. That’s what we try to stop with Russia. It’s wrong. So it’s not only about how we make decisions about our foreign policy and our global security. It’s about undermining the integrity of our election.That’s A. B: I don’t think there’s a — I don’t know. I don’t think there’s a grasp on the part of this administration that the quid pro quo is not essential to an impeachable offense, but if you have sequencing, like a couple of days before the President withdrew the bipartisan support for Ukraine. Bipartisan enthusiastic support for Ukraine a few days earlier, he withdraws it, then makes this statement. President’s words weigh tons. Weigh tons. And just bringing up the election is bad enough. That there would be a quid pro quo isn’t necessarily in the conversation, but in the sequencing. So this is not a good thing for a democracy, for the leader of the free world to be talking like that, and I don’t even know if there are any scruples involved. That’s why I say they think lawlessness is a virtue and now want to export it to another country.”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi just addressed President Trump’s Ukraine drama.

Pelosi is expected to give a statement at 5 p.m. ET. She is speaking now at The Atlantic Festival.

President Trump just tweeted that he has “authorized the release tomorrow of the complete, fully declassified and unredacted transcript of my phone conversation with President Zelensky of Ukraine.”

Here are the tweets:

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, speaking in Iowa today, said he hopes the House Judiciary Committee will move forward with an impeachment inquiry against President Trump. 

Sanders, who has always been open to an impeachment inquiry, called on the committee to demand information from the Trump administration.

“But I think all over this country, we have people including Republicans, who are sick and tired of a president who believes that he does not have to obey the Constitution of the United States, and that he is above the law,” he said.

Sanders continued: “Enough is enough. Today I hope very much that the Judiciary Committee will go forward with an impeachment inquiry, but let me also say this. And that is, that the Congress of the United States must show the American people, that it can walk and chew bubblegum at the same time.”  

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will make a statement at 5 p.m. ET following her meeting with the House Democratic Caucus, her deputy chief of staff announced on Twitter.

The growing controversy over President Trump’s phone call with Ukraine’s president has brought House Democrats near a “tipping point” on impeachment as the party weighs how to respond to the incident. 

Remember: The House has not taken any steps toward an impeachment inquiry. But if Congress does take action, here’s a step-by-step look at how it would play out:

Here’s the breakdown of how impeachment match would work:

House Democrats are nearing a tipping point on impeachment in the wake of the Trump administration blocking a whistleblower complaint’s release to Congress.

Moderate Democrats are showing new openness to move ahead with such an inquiry.

At least 155 of the 235 Democrats in the House have made clear they support starting the impeachment inquiry process.

Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a former Republican who has since become an independent, has also called for impeachment proceedings, bringing the total number of representatives to 156.

You can see the full whip list here.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is planning to put a resolution on the House floor tomorrow to address the Ukraine issue amid growing calls to start the impeachment process, sources said.

What that resolution will specifically say is still being worked out. In fact, a Democratic leadership aide said key committees are working on the language now.

A source adds Pelosi wants to do this before Thursday when Joseph McGuire, the acting director of National Intelligence, comes to the House Intelligence Committee in hopes of pressuring him to reveal the details of the whistleblower complaint.

Separately, CNN is told that Pelosi is telling members she thinks this issue is understandable for the American public, and they get it. (This is critical since her whole thing has been public support.)

Pelosi is also encouraging members of her caucus to state their impeachment position now in order to show there is a groundswell in the caucus. (As Rep. John Lewis and other Pelosi allies have done.) She is also giving that same message to freshmen.

This comes as Pelosi will meet with key committee chairmen this afternoon who are leading investigations into President Trump, ahead of a full caucus meeting at 4 p.m. ET. Pelosi is expected to address reporters after the meeting.

Former Vice President Joe Biden will say that Congress has “no choice but to impeach” President Trump if he does not comply with representatives’ requests for information, according to a campaign aide.

Biden is expected to speak today at 2:30 p.m. ET. 

“He’s going to make the point that Trump’s latest abuses are on top of all of his prior abuses,” the aide said. “He’s going to call on Trump to comply with all of Congress’ outstanding, lawful requests for information – in the Ukraine matter, and in the other investigations — and if Trump does not comply, Congress has no choice but to impeach.”

President Trump again admitted to withholding aid to Ukraine, providing the excuse that he was awaiting additional aid from European nations, and claiming there was “never any quid pro quo.”

“I wanted to get other countries – other countries should also pay because, frankly, it affects them more,” Trump said during a bilateral meeting with embattled UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Trump said he took these concerns to acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. 

On Monday, The Washington Post first reported that the President had directed his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to freeze nearly $400 million of US military and security aid to Ukraine in the days before he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, when he pushed the leader to look into Biden and his son’s work.

There is no evidence of wrongdoing by either Joe or Hunter Biden.

Rep. John Lewis, speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives, called for impeachment proceedings to begin, saying, “We cannot delay. We must not wait. Now is the time to act. I have been patient while we tried every other path and used every other tool.”

Lewis continued: “I believe, I truly believe, the time to begin impeachment proceedings against this president has come. To delay, or to do otherwise, would betray the foundation of our democracy.”

What we’re expecting this afternoon: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is scheduled to meet with six committee chairs who are investigating the President, according to Democratic sources.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to comment on impeachment, if her views have changed, if she is endorsing impeachment proceedings or even a select committee.

“I’ll be making my statement later today,” she told reporters repeatedly moments ago.

Pelosi this afternoon is scheduled to meet with six committee chairs who are investigating the President, according to Democratic sources.

President Trump, asked about reporting that he put a hold on millions in military aid to Ukraine a week before the phone call to the nation’s president, said he withheld the aid because other countries were not also spending.

“Other countries should be paying also,” Trump said. Why is the United States the only one paying to Ukraine? And I’ve been talking about this for a long time, not only with respect to Ukraine but a lot of other countries. But frankly, Why isn’t Germany — I just met with the chancellor — Why isn’t Germany? Why isn’t France? why aren’t these other countries paying?”

Trump said that the payment was eventually made.

The President made similar comments earlier today as he arrived at the United Nations.

“We’re putting up the bulk of the money. And I’m asking why is that?” Trump said earlier today. “Why is it only the United States putting up the money? And by the way, we paid that money. ”

Asked by CNN if he is comfortable with President Trump bringing up vice President Joe Biden in call with Ukraine’s president, GOP Rep. Mark Meadows responded, “I think Biden’s actions need to be investigated … I certainly applaud him for highlighting that. I think it’s something that should be looked into. It’s very serious.”

Asked if Trump should release the transcripts, Meadows said, “I’m always for transparency.”

Meadows also disputed that the individual is a whistleblower because CNN reported the person had second-hand knowledge of the incident.

What we know: Biden will speak later today about “the DNI whistleblower report and President Trump’s ongoing abuse of power,” according to a campaign news statement. It will happen at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Democratic presidential candidate Steve Bullock just issued a statement saying Congress must swiftly investigate the Ukraine allegations against President Trump.

He added that the House should begin impeachment proceedings if they are not provided with the relevant transcripts of President Trump’s interactions with Ukrainian officials.

“If they don’t get it, I see no other option than starting impeachment proceedings,” he said.

Former Vice President Joe Biden will speak about “the DNI whistleblower report and President Trump’s ongoing abuse of power,” according to a campaign press release. It will happen at 2:30 p.m. ET in Wilmington, Delaware.

We will cover this live here.

Some context: President Trump asked his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to put a hold on millions in military aid to Ukraine roughly one week before a call with the Ukrainian president in which he pressured the country to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, two senior administration officials said on Monday.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat on the House Judiciary, said he believes articles of impeachment are “inevitable” and warned President Trump of his “constitutional reckoning.”

But not all Democrats are on board. Rep. Ben McAdams of Utah — a Democrat who is vulnerable in 2020 — told CNN that he’s “considering” impeachment but didn’t want to discuss the issue further.

A senior House Democratic aide said some Democrats have raised the idea of setting up a select committee to investigate all the allegations of wrongdoing.

Here’s why: Now it appears that the issues — like the Ukraine drama — cross the jurisdiction of several committees. 

Some Democrats are likely to endorse this move publicly, but Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has not decided on this yet, Democratic sources said.

Keep in mind: Setting up a panel would be complicated and time-consuming so many Democrats are skeptical they would go this route. But it’s another sign of the growing focus on impeachment in the House Democratic Caucus.

President Trump told reporters he “assumes” they’ll see the transcript of his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“When you see the call, when you see the readout of the call — which I assume you’ll see at some point — you’ll understand,” Trump said as he defended his conversation. “That call was perfect. It couldn’t have been nicer.”

President Trump called the prospect of impeachment “ridiculous” and a “witch hunt” when asked about it this morning as he was walking into the UN.

President Trump was just asked about reporting that he asked his chief of staff to put a hold on millions in military aid to Ukraine roughly one week before his phone call with the nation’s president.

“Those funds were paid. They were fully paid,” Trump said.

Trump suggested he withheld funds because “Europe and other nations” were not contributing to Ukraine.

“Just the United States. We’re putting up the bulk of the money. And I’m asking why is that?” Trump said as he arrived at the United Nations this morning. “Why is it only the United States putting up the money? And by the way, we paid that money. ”

Senate Republicans yesterday avoided criticism of President Trump’s conduct over the handling of a controversial whistleblower’s complaint, with one prominent senator even suggesting the whistleblower is a “leaker” who should be criminally investigated.

Here’s what they’ve been saying:

House Speaker Pelosi this afternoon is scheduled to meet with six committee chairs who are investigating the President, according to Democratic sources.

The meeting comes ahead of her full caucus meeting, where she will discuss the investigations and the Ukraine-whistleblower controversy. With the chairs, she will discuss their presentation to the caucus, sources said.

The speaker has been on the phone with her colleagues over the last several days to take the temperature of the whistleblower controversy as she decides whether to embrace impeachment, Democrats say.

Some of the speaker’s closet allies — including Rosa DeLauro and Debbie Dingell — signaled their support for impeachment proceedings, a sign she could be moving closer to backing impeachment.

President Trump asked his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to put a hold on millions in military aid to Ukraine roughly one week before a call with the Ukrainian president in which he pressured the country to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, two senior administration officials said on Monday.

Trump, who was in the middle of a broad review of foreign aid programs when he singled out Ukraine specifically this summer, was primarily concerned with “corruption” in Ukraine and Europe shouldering more of the financial burden for supporting Ukraine’s defense, according to one of the officials.

News of Trump’s order to withhold aid to the Ukraine ahead of his July 25 call may trigger questions — and speculation — about the President’s motive in doing so.

The Washington Post was first to report that Trump told Mulvaney to put a hold on almost $400 million in military aid for Ukraine.