McConnell: Senate will hold impeachment trial next year
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor this morning that "if the House continues down this destructive road and sends us articles of impeachment," then the Senate will take them up "in the new year" and "proceed to a fair trial."
McConnell's comments echo what he said yesterday when he was asked about the timing of a potential impeachment trial in the Senate.
There was no talk of impeachment at today's House Democratic caucus meeting
From CNN's Manu Raju
Behind closed doors this morning, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her caucus discussed a wide range of legislative issues.
But impeachment did not come up, according to multiple members.
Instead, there was lot of talk on appropriations, USMCA, and the tax extender.
Members said it’s a sign that they are ready to move ahead to their agenda.
10:16 a.m. ET, December 11, 2019
House Democrat says impeachment is for "future generations"
From CNN's Ellie Kaufman
Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said she’s not concerned about the House floor vote on articles being a party line vote.
“We’re taking this action for future generations. Not this Congress,” Speier said.
Speier added: “It’s a constitutional question, if they can’t read the constitution, if they can’t realize this is a high crime or misdemeanor — that’s their decision.”
Democratic Rep. David Cicilinne, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, reiterated that the articles the House have charged the President with are related to a “pattern of behavior” followed by a “pattern of covering it up and obstructing Congress’s investigation of it.”
Cicilinne called Trump’s actions a “crime in progress” and said if Congress doesn’t act, the US “will no longer have a democracy.”
“If we don’t honor our oath to protect and defend the constitution there should be no question in anyone’s mind he’s gonna go back at it. In fact it’s a crime in progress. He’s still doing it today," he said.
9:58 a.m. ET, December 11, 2019
House Democrat says her "phones are ringing off the hook" about impeachment
From CNN's Manu Raju
Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a freshman Democrat from a swing district in Michigan, said this morning her office “literally” can’t answer the phones fast enough as strong views come in on both sides about impeachment.
“My phones are ringing off the hook,” she said.
Slotkin said she’s undecided on how she’ll vote and will consider all the evidence.
She praised the “responsible” decision to just focus on Ukraine and the two articles — and not include the allegations in the Mueller report and obstruction of justice.
9:33 a.m. ET, December 11, 2019
Schiff defends not including obstruction of justice in articles of impeachment
From CNN's Manu Raju
Alex Wong/Getty Images
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff defended the decision to move forward with just two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — when he was asked this morning why there was no article on obstruction of justice.
“We moved forward with the most urgent articles — those that reflect the danger to the next election. And that is the President’s continuing effort to get Ukraine to interfere and help him cheat in the next election,” Schiff said.
This the first known time Chairman Schiff has addressed this issue.
8:46 a.m. ET, December 11, 2019
What's on Trump's schedule today
Democrats are pushing forward with articles of impeachment today, with the Judiciary Committee due to begin giving opening statements tonight at 7 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, President Trump will attend a swearing in and two Hanukkah events. Here's a look at his schedule today, according to the White House:
3:30 p.m. ET: Trump will participate in a ceremonial swearing-in of the Secretary of Energy
4 p.m. ET: Trump attends a Hanukkah reception at the White House
8:05 p.m. ET: Trump attends another Hanukkah reception at the White House
8:06 a.m. ET, December 11, 2019
Trump had a rally last night. Here's what he said about impeachment.
From CNN's Jeremy Diamond
US President Donald Trump during the campaign rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Mark Makela/Getty Images
Last night at his rally in Pennsylvania, President Trump said Democrats announced the deal between the US, Mexico and Canada on the same they announced articles of impeachment "because they're embarrassed by impeachment" and called it a "silver lining."
"The reason they announced it on the same day ... It’s a huge deal and it plays down the impeachment because they’re embarrassed by the impeachment," Trump claimed.
Trump noted that his administration has been "waiting a long time for Nancy Pelosi" to back the trade agreement.
Trump slammed the impeachment process and claimed that "our poll numbers have gone through the roof because of her stupid impeachment."
But Trump argued that USMCA was the "silver lining of impeachment."
"That’s the reason they approved USMCA and that’s OK with me," Trump said. "They approved it and they’re very happy to have it."
Yesterday, Trump tweeted that it "will be the best and most important trade deal ever made by the USA" — and called its predecessor, the North American Free Trade Agreement, "our Country's worst Trade Deal."
Now, the House Judiciary Committee will vote on approving the articles. That process beings tonight. Here's what we're expecting:
7 p.m. ET: members will have five minutes each to give opening statements, according to a sources.
Tomorrow morning: The committee will start considering amendments. It's not clear how long this part of the process could go.
The articles, if approved, would go then go to the House floor next week. A simple majority is needed to approve them there — and that's the vote that could officially impeach President Trump.
It’s unclear exactly when the articles will be considered on the floor next week.
7:25 a.m. ET, December 11, 2019
Trump assaults facts to survive impeachment
Analysis by CNN's Stephen Collinson
Trump issued a mocking defense of his conduct at a rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania on Tuesday night. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump is looking to survive impeachment the same way he built his powerful presidency -- by assaulting facts and seeking to expand the limitations of the office he is accused of abusing.
On the day that Democrats proposed two articles of impeachment against him, the President and his courtiers laid down a fresh fog to obscure the evidence that incriminates him.
The President also issued a mocking defense of his conduct at a rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Tuesday night -- arguing that the charges that he abused power and obstructed Congress are "not even a crime."
"Everyone said this is impeachment-lite. This is the lightest impeachment in the history of our country, by far. It's not even like an impeachment," Trump said.
Attorney General William Barr meanwhile reprised his role spinning his boss out of trouble, dismissing his own department's watchdog report that debunked Trump's repeated claim that a "deep state" coup tried to bring him down. Barr also breathed fresh life into another of Trump's conspiracy theories -- that the FBI's Russia investigation was unjustified and rooted in political bias by Obama administration officials.
"I think our nation was turned on its head for three years, I think, based on a completely bogus narrative that was largely fanned and hyped by an irresponsible press," Barr said Tuesday in an interview with NBC News.
The comments reflected the tendency of the Trump administration to deflect damning facts and to create new narratives that the President and his fans find more appealing.
Trump's never ending stream of misinformation, half-truths and conspiracy theories seems designed to confuse voters, and to create ambiguity and uncertainty about the outcome of investigations in a way that leaves even the closest observer unsure about the facts.
