Our live coverage of the impeachment inquiry has ended for the day. Read up on the latest news below.
For just the fourth time in American history, a president will face articles of impeachment.
But as Republicans continue to move in lockstep with President Trump, will Democrats stay unified? And what role will the courts play in the impeachment proceedings?
In today’s episode of “The Daily DC: Impeachment Watch” podcast, CNN political director David Chalian examines the road ahead with CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash and CNN crime and justice reporter Katelyn Polantz.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, speaking in Frankfort, Kentucky, today, said it was appropriate to coordinate with the White House ahead of a likely Senate impeachment trial of President Trump.
McConnell said similar coordination happened during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial.
Some background: Some Democrats are raising concerns about McConnell’s statement that he will coordinate closely with the White House on the looming Senate impeachment trial, with one House Democrat saying the Kentucky Republican should recuse himself entirely.
McConnell told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Thursday night that there will “be no difference between the President’s position and our position as to how to handle this.”
“Everything I do during this, I will be coordinating with White House counsel,” McConnell said.
McConnell and Trump’s top lawyer sketched out a plan Thursday, prior to the Fox News interview, to coordinate closely for an impeachment trial. Still, no agreement was reached on an issue where Trump and McConnell diverge. Trump has repeatedly said he wants witnesses at the Senate impeachment trial. McConnell has privately indicated he wants to avoid witnesses out of concern for the political and institutional fallout they might bring.
Tom Daschle, who was the Senate Democratic Leader during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial, tells CNN that while he did not personally talk to Clinton in preparing for the impeachment trial, his staff was in constant coordination with senior White House officials about it.
Daschle said he does not fault the current Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for remarks on Fox News Thursday night about his coordination with President Trump and the White House.
“That’s the way it is now,” Daschle said, “it’s different.”
He added that in retrospect, his decision to not speak to Clinton “was probably a little myopic,” but added there was more to it for him than just being a juror in the President’s trial.
Clinton’s impeachment trial was from Dec. 19, 1998, through Feb.12., 1999.
Nevada Rep. Susie Lee, a vulnerable Democrat from a swing district, announced today that she would vote for the two articles of impeachment against President Trump.
Lee said she came to her decision after she “carefully deliberated and comprehensively reviewed the facts.”
“This is a grave decision that requires thorough and solemn deliberation,” she said in a statement. “After weighing all of the facts, I will be voting in support of impeachment of the President.”
She continued:
Rep. Max Rose, a freshman Democrat from a swing district in New York, just announced his support for both articles of impeachment against President Trump.
He criticized the President for “coercing a foreign government into targeting American citizens,” calling it an “invitation to the enemies of the United States to come after any citizen.”
Rose’s district includes Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn.
Why this matters: The House Judiciary committee approved both articles of impeachment against President Trump this morning. The articles will move to a formal vote on the House floor next week.
Read Rose’s full statement below:
It was another big day in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump as the House Judiciary Committee approved articles of impeachment.
Here’s where things stand today:
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement following this morning’s vote in the House Judiciary Committee on the articles of impeachment:
President Trump was just asked if he prefers a long or short trial in the Senate.
“I’ll do whatever I want. Look — we did nothing wrong, so I’ll do long or short,” Trump said.
If the House approves the articles of impeachment against Trump as they are expected to do next week, the Senate will then hold a trial to decide if he should be removed from office. It’s not clear how long the Senate trial might last.
The President added he “wouldn’t mind” a longer trial if it meant more witnesses.
Some context: Throughout the House impeachment inquiry, Republicans have demanded to hear from the whistleblower whose complaint against Trump was at the heart of the inquiry.
The legal team for the whistleblower is preparing for the possibility that lawmakers will call their client to testify in the Senate, two people familiar told CNN.
Watch more:
Rep. Jamie Raskin called Senate Majority Leader McConnell’s comments that he will coordinate with closely with the White House on the looming Senate impeachment trial “a complete surrender of the constitutional duties and prerogatives of the Senate, essentially turning them over to the White House.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, spoke about the possibility of House Democrats voting against the articles of impeachment on the floor.
President Trump said Democrats are “trivializing” impeachment following a vote in the House Judiciary Committee on articles of impeachment.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump repeated his claims the impeachment amounts to a “witch hunt” and a “sham.”
He again said his phone call with Ukraine’s president was “perfect” and he noted it’s been a “wild week.”
Trump is still speaking from the Oval Office.
Watch:
The House Judiciary Committee voted 23-17 this morning to advance articles of impeachment against President Trump. It was a party-line vote, with Democrats voting yes and Republicans voting no.
Democrats who voted yes:
Republicans who voted no:
Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California, was not present and did not vote. He’s recovering from a heart procedure.
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee raised concerns about Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s comments that he will coordinate closely with the White House on the looming Senate impeachment trial.
Rep. Val Demings, a Florida Democrat, said the Kentucky Republican should recuse himself entirely.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal called the coordination “ridiculous.”
“I think it is outrageous for the chief juror who is organizing the trial to be coordinating with the defendant,” Jayapal, a Washington Democrat, told reporters.
Some context: If a simple majority of the House votes to impeach the President — which is expected to happen next week — the Senate will hold a trial overseen by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
McConnell held a closed-door meeting with the President’s top lawyer, White House counsel Pat Cipollone, on Thursday to coordinate plans for the trial.
The House Judiciary Committee this morning voted to advance articles of impeachment against President Trump to the full House.
This marks the fourth time in US history the House will consider impeaching a President.
Here’s a look at the three other Presidents who have faced impeachment:
Brad Parscale, Trump’s 2020 campaign manager, called today’s vote “political theater” after the House Judiciary Committee advanced both articles of impeachment against President Trump.
Read his full statement:
In an exchange with CNN’s Manu Raju following the House Judiciary Committee vote on articles of impeachment, Rep. Debbie Lesko, a Republican from Arizona, denied that President Trump asked Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, repeatedly saying “he did not do that.”
When pressed on whether asking Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate was appropriate, Lesko said:
Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, argued that Democrats are not living up to the standards that they set for themselves.
“The reality is they failed to meet their burden,” Gaetz said.
The GOP congressman said Republicans would like to work on “policy changes that will actually impact the quality of life for our constituents,” while Democrats keep impeachment as their “total focus.”
It’s worth noting that just this week House Democrats and the White House reached a deal to advance President Trump’s renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement after months of negotiations for changes on Democratic priorities.
The White House has released a statement on the impeachment vote, calling it a “desperate charade of an impeachment inquiry.”
“The President looks forward to receiving in the Senate the fair treatment and due process which continues to be disgracefully denied to him by the House,” said Stephanie Grisham, the White House Press Secretary.
Read the full statement below:
House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler gave a very brief statement following today’s committee vote to advance two articles of impeachment against President Trump to the full House floor.
“Today is a solemn and sad day,” he said. “The House will act expeditiously.”
Nadler left without taking any questions from reporters.
Watch more:
Rep. Doug Collins, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, said in statement following today’s vote that it “highlights the pettiness of last night’s delay and the folly of articles of impeachment that allege no crime and establish no case.”
He continued:
More context: Late last night, after about 14 hours of debate, Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler gaveled the proceeding to a close. This angered Collins and other Republicans who were expecting to vote on the articles yesterday.
Today, when the committee reconvened they voted along party lines to approve two articles of impeachment against President Trump — 23 Democrats voted in favor while all 17 Republicans on the committee voted against the articles.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington, called for House representatives to “vote their conscience” when vote on impeachment articles moves to the House floor.
“We all have to wake up and go to bed with ourselves every night and we’ll be remembered in history for this vote,” she said.
“This is gonna go down in the history books — this idea that democracy can be saved or preserved without any effort, without any courage from us, is an affront to the people that fought in the revolutions in the battlefields to create this democracy,” she said.
