President Trump has been impeached

President Trump has become the third president in history to be impeached.

The House passed both articles of impeachment: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Here’s what you need to know about the vote:

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted moments ago that he would speak about President Trump’s impeachment on the floor at 9:30 a.m. ET tomorrow. 

Read his tweet:

The next steps in the impeachment saga all depends on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi would not commit tonight on sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate, which will hold a trial and decide whether to convict President Trump and remove him from office.

Why this matters: Some progressives have urged Democratic leaders to withhold the articles until Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agrees to procedures for the Senate trial that Democrats have called for, as well as agreeing to bring in firsthand witnesses like acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to testify.

Pelosi said Democrats will make the decision “as a group” on when to send the articles to the Senate.

CNN’s Phil Mattingly noted there are procedural concerns behind not sending the articles tonight — Democrats can’t send them over tonight because the Senate would have to take it up tomorrow, and it would shut down action in the Senate. That would mess with appropriations.

“We cannot name managers until we see what the process is on the Senate side, and we hope that will be soon,” Pelosi said of naming impeachment managers for the Senate trial. “So far we haven’t seen anything that looks fair to us, so hopefully it will be fair.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking right after the House impeached President Trump, said today is “a great day for the Constitution” but “a sad day for America.”

Pelosi continued:

“I view this day, this vote, as something that we did to honor the vision of our founders to establish a republic, the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform to defend our democracy and the republic, and the aspirations of our children that they will always live in a democracy, and we have tried to do everything we can to make sure that that is their reality.”

In the hours before the votes to impeach President Trump tonight, the atmosphere at the Trump International Hotel in Washington was nearly, but not quite, joyous. Two of the four televisions hanging above the lobby lounge bar were tuned to ESPN, with another tuned to Fox News and the last to CNN.

Few of the guests, if any, were paying much attention to the ongoing debate on the floor of the House of Representatives.

One of those at the bar was Heather Zabel, a 35-year-old nursing student in Virginia who considers herself a big fan of Trump’s.

“Big deal,” Zabel said, gesturing at the TV showing lawmakers arguing about impeaching Trump. “This is only making Republicans angry. And we’re going to vote for him again.”

The general consensus around the bar from Trump supporters echoed the Republican talking-points: that Democrats were pushing impeachment because they couldn’t stand seeing him in the White House. The “Russia collusion” gambit failed, and Ukraine was just the next effort to undo the 2016 election.

After the House passed the second impeachment count, Zabel’s face had fallen. Everything had happened as predicted — Trump was impeached, but he was still more than likely to be acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate.

As she spoke, the crowd around the bar began to thin out. Some shuffled across the lobby to have dinner at the hotel restaurant. Others began to head for the doors. Those who stayed looked down from the TVs and to their phones, or back to their own conversations. At Trump’s hotel, just blocks from the Capitol and the White House after the impeachment of the President, life had moved on.

President Trump called on his supporters to “vote Pelosi the hell out of office” while speaking at a Christmas MAGA rally in Michigan tonight.

“Americans will show up by the tens of millions next year to vote Pelosi the hell out of office,” Trump said in Michigan.

Trump then criticized Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat representing Manhattan, and commented on donating to her over the years adding, “Give me back the damn money.” 

Trump also attacked Congressman Debbie Dingell, calling her a “real beauty.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that Maloney is a Republican. She is a Democrat.

Watch Trump’s ‘disgraceful’ reaction to impeachment:

As President Trump officially became the third US president to be impeached, he was on stage at a “Merry Christmas” rally in Michigan laying into Democrats and claiming they’ve “branded themselves with an eternal mark of shame.”

Trump likened the impeachment proceedings to a “political suicide march” and said he would prevail in the end.

“Have you seen my polls?” an incredulous-sounding Trump said to roars.

Shortly after the impeachment vote closed, Trump decried the situation in which he finds himself.

“After three years of sinister witch hunts, hoaxes, scams, the House Democrats are trying to nullify the ballots of tens of millions of patriotic Americans,” he said.

Watch President Trump take aim at Democrats:

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said President Trump “should be tried” by the Senate.

Schiff said the question is now whether “Senator McConnell will allow a fair trial in the Senate.”

He said the American people want to hear the testimony of people like John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney — and “see what’s in those documents that the President has been hiding.”

Watch here:

President Trump has acknowledged the vote to impeach him, which occurred as he was speaking on stage in Michigan.

The votes occurred in the middle of his speech. It appeared he learned of the vote tallies from an aide.

Trump used the result to tout Republican unity.

“The Republican Party has never been so affronted but they have never been so united as they are right now,” he said.

He said it was “unheard of” that some Democrats would vote against the impeachment.

“The Democrats always stick together. Think of it: 3 Democrats went over to our side,” he said.

Nancy Pelosi shot her members a look when it appeared that several House Democrats cheered or applauded after she announced that the articles of impeachment had passed.

Earlier in the day, the House Speaker told Democrats not to celebrate during the vote.

Watch here:

The vote on the second article of impeachment — obstruction of Congress — spilt almost entirely along party lines.

Here’s the final vote count:

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, was again the only Democrat to vote present.

The White House just released a statement following the impeachment of President Trump, calling it “one of the most shameful political episodes in the history of our nation.”

The statement went on to call the impeachment a “sham” that denied the President “fundamental fairness and due process under the law.”

The White House further stated: “All of these antics make clear that Democrats have lost sight of what this country needs, which is a Congress that works for the people. Their boundless animus for President Trump fuels their desire to nullify the 2016 election results, and improperly influence the 2020 election.”

Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, who is a representative from Hawaii, released a statement explaining her decision to vote “present” on the first article of impeachment against President Trump.

Gabbard is the only candidate who is a member of congress who is able to vote on impeachment. The other congressmembers who are running are all members of the Senate.

The US House of Representatives just adjourned for the night.

The House will return tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET.

Lawmakers debated for six hours on the floor before voting on the articles of impeachment tonight.

In a historic move, the House of Representatives has passed two articles of impeachment against President Trump.

The House voted primarily along party lines to impeach Trump on abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

A majority of the US House of Representatives have voted to support the second article of impeachment — obstruction of Congress — against President Trump.

House Democrats have 216 votes. Lawmakers are still voting on the House floor.

What happened just moments ago: The House voted almost entirely along party lines to charge Trump with abuse of power, the first article of impeachment.

Here’s what how the vote on the first article of impeachment — abuse of power — went down:

One member, Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, voted present.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the final vote from the speaker’s chair. 

Most members are voting through the electronic system, but a large number of members are voting with paper cards, which is just a more formal way to register a vote.

That makes the process move a little more slowly, because the House clerk has to plug it into the electronic system instead of the members doing it themselves.

Members are able to come back to get their card and keep it afterward, something they like to do on important and historic votes.

The House has 5 minutes to vote on the second article of impeachment: obstruction of Congress.

The House of Representatives just took the historic step to impeach President Trump.

It’s only the third time in history that this has been done.

A majority of the US House of Representatives has voted to support the first article of impeachment against President Trump.

House Democrats have 216 votes, which is the number needed to impeach the President.

Voting is still happening on the House floor.

The US House of Representatives has started voting on the first article of impeachment against President Trump: abuse of power.

Trump is facing two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

As House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff gave his closing remarks on the House floor tonight — to wrap up the day long debate on the impeachment of the President, — Trump took the stage at his Christmas themed campaign rally at the Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Vice President Mike Pence introduced Trump and blasted the impeachment proceedings in the House, calling them a “disgrace.” 

Pence continued that Democrats are “trying to impeach this president because they know they can’t defeat this president.”

Pence called tonight’s vote a “partisan impeachment” before he continued with remarks touting the administration’s work on the economy and the military. 

Deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters the President will begin his remarks with a Christmas message — and then he will spend about a third of the speech “talking about what is happening right now with the impeachment scam.” 

Back in Washington, House Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had just concluded his closing remarks on the floor of the House arguing “there are no grounds for impeachment.” 

Rep. Adam Schiff said during his closing remarks that “we should care about our allies.” 

He continued:

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told the House tonight that the impeachment of President Trump represents “the most partisan and least credible impeachment in American history.”

In his closing remarks, Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer singled out Justin Amash, an independent who left the Republican party.

Amash spoke earlier today in support of the two articles of impeachment against President Trump.

Rep. Steny Hoyer, the majority leader, said “Democrats did not choose this impeachment.”

He continued:

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who has served in Congress for 38 years, said he never expected to witness “such an obvious wrongdoing by a President of the United States.”

On his Republican colleagues in the House, Hoyer added he also never expected to witness such “craven rationalization of presidential actions.”

He noted that Trump was elected “legitimately” by the Electoral College but also pointed out that more people voted for Hillary Clinton — about 65 million compared to Trump’s 63 million votes.

The House is nearly finished with six scheduled hours of debate. 

House leaders may make remarks at the close of the debate. When that is done, the voting will soon begin on two articles of impeachment.

The chair will announce that the debate has ended, and then announce that the next order of business is the vote. There will then be a roll call, and then the second vote. 

Here’s the vote order:

Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana, decried the impeachment of President Trump, calling the actions in the House a “political vendetta.”

His speech drew applause from his party.

Scalise added: “You don’t impeach a president because you don’t like his foreign policy as so many experts came and testified. But this isn’t just about Donald Trump. They don’t just hate Donald Trump, Madam Speaker. They hate the 63 million Americans who voted for this president. The forgotten men and women of this country who have been left behind, madam speaker.”

Watch here:

Rep. Susan Davis, a Democrat from California, got some laughter and applause from the chamber with her short remarks in which she said President Trump “is impeaching himself.”

Watch here:

Rep. Drew Ferguson, a Republican from Georgia, said that in the 2016 presidential election he and “63 million American voters — representing 304 Electoral College votes — went to the polls and we raised our collective political middle finger to DC and voted for Donald Trump.”

He called the impeachment of Trump a “flipping rodeo” and a “sham.” 

Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio and staunch defender of President Trump, accused Democrats of “attacking the President before the election.”

“When you drain the swamp the swamp fights back,” he said.

Rep. John Ratcliffe, a Republican from Texas, said that “unless a bolt of courage and integrity strikes” Democrats in the next hour, “history will reflect that Donald Trump is the third president to be impeached.”

He continued:

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, a Democrat from New York, said “like a tin can tied to his leg” President Trump’s impeachment “will rattle behind him through the pages of history.”

Watch here:

Rep. Russ Fulcher, a Republican from Idaho, used his speaking time tonight during the debate on the articles of impeachment to remain silent.

See moment here:

Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California, said the rules of the debate “won’t allow me to cite all of the reasons why this President should be impeached” but said “there are many.”

She cited the withholding of US security aid to Ukraine and the attempt to solicit help from the country to dig up dirt on the Bidens as “blatant abuse of power.”

She said the House built an “irrefutable case” against President Trump with an “indisputable set of facts.”

Watch here:

Rep. Andy Barr, a Republican from Kentucky, fired back against claims made by Democrats today that impeachment was necessary to protect national security.

Barr added: “The President’s actions advanced national security. Oppose this impeachment.”

Watch moment here:

Reps. Jim Jordan, John Ratcliffe and Mike Johnson

Reps. Jim Jordan, John Ratcliffe and Mike Johnson, all of whom are Republicans, met yesterday with White House counsel Pat Cipollone, a person familiar with the meeting said.

The White House is weighing whether to include the three allies of President Trump on the defense team during the Senate trial.

No decisions have been made and things are fluid, but the move would give a platform to a trio of conservatives who have fiercely defended Trump throughout the House proceedings, the person said.

Republican Rep. Mark Meadows is also being considered to join the team but was not present at the White House meeting. The President speaks to these lawmakers frequently, the person added.

One option under consideration is having the conservative members present a minority response to the House managers’ report – meaning their role in defending Trump would be separate from the legal team, according to a source familiar with the discussions. 

Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, railed against Democrats during his floor speech, saying they “would rather trip the President just to see him stumble than see America succeed.”

He criticized Democrats for going after President Trump instead of working “together for the common good of our country and our citizens.”

Watch here:

Rep. Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, who was an early advocate of impeachment, said he believes President Trump can be impeached again. 

Green added: “That would mean that he has all the rest of his term … to do whatever he chooses. Because we are the only means by which the President can be brought to justice.”

House Democrats and Republicans each have about an hour of time left in today’s debate on the articles of impeachment.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat from Illinois, credited her son Ian with influencing her to vote to impeach President Trump 

She continued: “I want to thank you, my son, for helping me do the right thing today, to vote to impeach the President of the United States, Donald Trump, because no American is above the law.”

Watch here:

Rep. John Lewis, a Democrat from Georgia, justified the impeachment of President Trump not for his generation but for future generations.

“But today, this day, we didn’t ask for this. This is a sad day. It is not a day of joy,” Lewis said.

He continued:

Watch here:

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler told CNN today that he has not spoken with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about delaying the transmittal of the articles of impeachment.

Asked if he believes they could withhold the articles as leverage, Nadler said, “I really don’t know.” 

But Rep. Earl Blumenauer said he spoke with Pelosi a few days ago to delay the articles until the “appropriate time.” Democrats who support this approach argue they should be withheld until Senate Republicans agree to witness testimony.

“She said she’s thinking about it — she’s made no determination,” Blumenauer said of Pelosi.

Blumenauer said he has spoken with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries about this tactic — along with over three dozen other members.

“Everybody is interested,” Blumenauer said.

Pelosi’s office has declined to say when the articles will be transmitted.

Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Republican from Texas, said Democrats were trying to use the impeachment process to “stop the investigation by the US Department of Justice and Ukraine into the corruption of Ukraine interference into US election in 2016.”

Immediately after Gohmert finished speaking, Rep. Jerry Nadler, the Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said, “I am deeply concerned that any member of the House would spout Russian propaganda on the floor of the House.”

This criticism triggered a heated response from Gohmert, who returned to the podium, shouting, but the microphone had been turned off.  

Facts First: By raising the specter of “Ukraine interference” in the 2016 election, Gohmert was spreading Russian propaganda. Russia, not Ukraine, meddled in the 2016 election. The US intelligence community believes this conspiracy was concocted by Russia to blame Ukraine for its actions in 2016. Republicans have also embraced this counter-narrative, but it just isn’t supported by the facts. 

Here are the facts: The Russian government and military, at the direction of President Vladimir Putin, launched an unprecedented attack on the 2016 presidential election. They spent millions of rubles on hackers and trolls who systematically tried to weaken Hillary Clinton and boost President Trump. It’s impossible to know if their efforts tipped the scales, but Trump won by a razor-thin margin.

But Trump has questioned, dismissed and contradicted these findings from the US intelligence community. Instead, Trump has promoted an alternate reality that it was the Ukrainian government who meddled in the 2016 election, and they tried to help Clinton win. In this telling, Ukraine framed Russia for the hacks and coordinated with Democratic operatives in the US to smear Trump. 

There is no evidence to support Trump’s conspiracy theories of a Ukrainian government operation against him. At worst, it appears that Ukrainian leaders may have hoped Trump would lose, especially after he publicly embraced Russia-friendly policy positions. 

In fact, CNN reported that US intelligence officials briefed senators this fall that Russia has engaged in a years-long campaign to push these conspiracy theories, which would shift the blame away from Moscow and onto Ukraine for interfering in the 2016 election. 

Even with this information in the public ledger, supposed “Ukrainian interference” became a primary talking point for Republicans throughout the impeachment inquiry. GOP lawmakers pointed to op-eds published by Ukrainian officials, and news articles describing alleged contacts between Ukrainians and Democratic operatives, as proof of what they claimed was a wide-ranging conspiracy.

Watch moment here:

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway spoke for more than 40 minutes in the briefing room on impeachment, telling reporters that President Trump was monitoring the impeachment debates but that he has a “lot on his schedule.”

Conway said that Trump doesn’t see impeachment as a “stain” on his legacy.

Conway was asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins whether Trump agrees with the characterization made by Rep. Barry Loudermilk, a Republican, that Jesus was afforded more due process than him. Conway said that while she doesn’t believe the President has been treated fairly, she also doesn’t “like many Jesus comparisons because he is my Lord and Savior and the Messiah to me and many Christians around the world.”

CNN’s Jim Acosta asked Conway whether Trump wishes he could do anything differently regarding Ukraine. Conway replied no, adding, “He was always going to be impeached and you know that.”

“You want him to do something differently because you must be very disappointed you were talking about treason, bribery, extortion, quid pro quo, collusion, Ukraine, Emoluments. And I like all this better,” Conway said.

Watch here:

Rep. Adam Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee chairman, is speaking now on the House Floor.

On the scheme to withhold aid from Ukraine for political gain that Democrats accuse Trump of, Schiff said, “But for the courage of someone willing to blow the whistle, he would have gotten away with it. Instead he got caught. He tried to cheat and he got caught.”

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler defended the impeachment of President Trump against claims from the GOP that the probe has been rushed.

Watch here:

Rep. Kevin Hern, a Republican from Oklahoma, said his constituents aren’t happy about the House impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

Hern also complained that the Democrats are rushing through the impeachment process.

“I’m ashamed to be a part of this today even as I vote against the impeachment,” he said.

Watch here:

Rep. Peter DeFazio, a Democrat from Oregon, accused President Trump of “blackmail” of Ukraine’s president.

DeFazio, in an attempt to rebut a common Republican talking point that Ukraine didn’t feel any pressure, said, “They’re being invaded by Russia. Vladimir Putin, you know? Trump’s friend.” 

Rep. Doug Collins shot back at DeFazio by once again making his case that since Ukrainian president said he didn’t feel any pressure from Trump his actions aren’t impeachable. Collins said that fact “destroys” Democrats’ case since “no pressure was felt” by Ukraine.

Watch here:

Nothing is going to stop the White House from making sure senators get their holiday card this year, not even the impeachment.

A White House staffer was seen delivering packages to Senate offices that included a Christmas card and a letter President Trump penned to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday, Sen. Chris Murphy, of Connecticut, tweeted this afternoon.

The letter Murphy is referring to berated House Democrats and railed against his impeachment.

Trump wrote in his indignant six-page missive that Democrats would come to regret their efforts when voters cast ballots next fall.

Employing falsehoods and exaggerations, Trump bemoaned the process as woefully broken, wildly claiming that “(m)ore due process was afforded to those accused in the Salem Witch Trials.”

He accused Pelosi of portraying a “false display of solemnity” during the impeachment process.

Read Murphy’s full tweet below:

Rep. Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, echoed sentiments expressed by other lawmakers today on Capitol Hill when he said President Trump is not “above the law.”

Green made his remarks in front of a poster featuring the words “Impeach Now” and the famous photo of 2-year-old Honduran girl who traveled across the Rio Grande with her family. They were stopped in Texas by US Border Patrol agents in June 2018.

Watch here:

Rep. Mike Kelly, a Republican from Pennsylvania, said that, like the Pearl Harbor attack, today “is another date that will live in infamy.”

GOP Senator Lindsey Graham said he can’t believe the President is getting through all this “still standing,” at a presser today, while the House debates articles of impeachment. 

Graham said he talked to the President today and asked how he was doing. According to Graham, Trump replied, “Well I’m being impeached, other than that I’m doing OK.”

“It’s a monumental day for the country… 21 years ago tomorrow we passed the articles of impeachment against President Clinton. So I’ve been through this before, it’s a very tough time for the body, a tough time for the country,” he said.

Rep. Barry Loudermilk echoed a frequently used argument from House Republicans that President Trump has been denied his Sixth Amendment right “of the defendant to face his accuser.”

Facts First: Loudermilk is wrong, Trump does not have a constitutional right to face the whistleblower. The Sixth Amendment only applies to criminal prosecutions. The constitutional rights of criminal defendants do not apply to public officials in a House of Representatives impeachment process.

The amendment clearly defines what proceedings it covers. “In all criminal prosecutions,” it states at the beginning, going on to say that the accused has the right “to be confronted with the witnesses against him.”

Steve Vladeck, a Supreme Court analyst for CNN and professor at the University of Texas law school, says invoking the Sixth Amendment to suggest that Trump has the right to face the whistleblower “is so wrong as to be embarrassing.”

Rep. Bradley Byrne, Republican from Alabama, brought up Hunter Biden and Ukraine in his floor remarks during the ongoing debate on the impeachment articles.

“If the dealings of Hunter Biden were so above board, you would think the majority would be fine looking into this matter,” Byrne said.

He added that Republican subpoenas for Hunter Biden have all been denied. 

“Hunter Biden doesn’t get a pass because his dad was Vice President,” Byrne said.

Some of President Trump’s advisers have already begun discussing ways to use the roughly two weeks between now and the likely start of his Senate trial to advance their narrative, according to advisers familiar with the ongoing talks.

Those advisers don’t want the President to squander that time, during which he is presently slated to be at Mar-a-Lago, because the congressional recess could create a messaging void for Trump to fill with his side of the story, the advisers said.

Aides and advisers have discussed the prospect of adding events or trips to his schedule, as well as keeping up a heavy presence of surrogates on the airwaves.

Although it was under completely different circumstances, White House officials last year lamented the fact that Trump spent his holidays largely out of view and thus ceded an opportunity to shape the conversation around the government shutdown unfolding at the time, these advisers said. Many viewed those days as a waste, and some Trump allies now hope he will use the same time period this year to go on offense.

That being said, one adviser noted Trump relishes his time spent holding court at Mar-a-Lago and may not easily be persuaded to give that up, the advisers said.

Rep. Loudermilk in 2018.

Georgia Republican Barry Loudermilk argued during today’s debate on the articles of impeachment that Jesus Christ was given more due process rights before his crucifixion than President Trump. 

Loudermilk was complaining that the whistleblower was never called to testify and that his or her identity remains secret.

Watch here:

Even as the House prepares to vote on the impeachment of President Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dismissed the proceedings as “noise” and “silliness.”

Pompeo made the remarks today alongside Defense Secretary Mark Esper and their Indian counterparts at the State Department.

“We will, we won’t let the noise and the silliness here in Washington DC distract us from that,” Pompeo added. 

Asked whether he would participate in Senate proceedings, Pompeo said he would do what was legally required of him. He did not answer a question as to whether he had been asked by the President to participate.

Lawmakers are currently debating on the House floor over the articles of impeachment against President Trump.

They are making the case for and against impeaching the President.

If you’re just catching up, here are some of the key quotes so far:

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told GOP senators at a policy lunch yesterday that he will announce by the end of the week the date for the start of an impeachment trial in the Senate, sources told CNN.  

This will allow senators to depart Washington for a two-week holiday recess with certainty about when the trial will begin. We don’t know what that date will be but there are strong suggestions from pretty much everyone it will be the week of Jan. 6.

McConnell is expected to meet with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to begin hashing out an agreement on the rules and structure of the trial. Both have said they intend to meet but we it’s unclear when that will happen. 

What the trial may look like: It appears both sides are interested in the general structure of the 1999 Clinton impeachment trial when House impeachment managers and the president’s defense counsel made opening arguments before senators haggled over whether to compel witness testimony.

The House debate on the articles of impeachment has roughly five more hours to go.

Both Democrats and Republicans still have a little more than 2 hours left to speak.

The debate is expected to conclude at about 7 p.m. ET. The vote on the articles of impeachment will happen after that.

Rep. Mitchell in 2018.

Rep. Paul Mitchell, a Republican from Michigan, railed against the impeachment of President Trump.

Watch here:

Rep. Jerry Nadler pushed back today on his Republican colleagues by invoking special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

“I would remind the gentleman that after recovering millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains, the Mueller investigation was actually a net plus for the taxpayers,” Nadler said. 

Facts First: Nadler is wrong that the Mueller probe was “net plus” for taxpayers. The investigation cost $32 million, according to figures released by the Justice Department, and the government is expected to recoup more than $17 million as a result of the investigation, according to a CNN analysis of the sentences handed down to defendants charged by Mueller.

The Mueller investigation didn’t bleed cash, and it was completed faster than some other high-profile investigations. About half of the costs of the Mueller investigation were recovered, but Nadler exaggerated the monetary benefits of the probe. 

Most of the money was recovered because of case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who was ordered to pay millions of dollars in back taxes.

Just this week, Manafort’s deputy Rick Gates was sentenced to pay a $20,000 fine for his crimes, in addition to serving 45 days in jail. Manafort and Gates were both prosecuted by Mueller’s team.

Watch the moment:

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas, said, “I hate no woman or man.”

The comment came after Rep. Chris Stewart, a Republican from Utah, claimed Democrats were impeaching Trump because “they hate this President.”

Watch here:

Rep. Chris Stewart, a Republican from Utah, claims the impeachment of President Trump has been pushed forward by Democrats because “they hate this President.”

The word “hate” in the impeachment: Earlier this month, the word “hate” became a talking point after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a scathing warning to a reporter.

The reporter had asked her a question about her feelings about Trump to which Pelosi responded with, “Don’t mess with me.”

The California Democrat forcefully pushed back on the idea that she and her caucus are proceeding with articles of impeachment because of a personal dislike of Trump, after being asked by a reporter from Sinclair, James Rosen, if she hates him on her way out of the weekly press conference.

Pelosi stopped and said: “I don’t hate anybody.”

Watch the moment:

Rep. Scalise on December 17.

Asked if the GOP would make other procedural motions to mount their objections to the process and force roll-call votes, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise told CNN “probably not.”

That means the final vote on the articles of impeachment will likely occur between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET.

He also told CNN that President Trump called him this morning. They talked about his letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and how Trump believes impeachment is a “personal vendetta” against him.

Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, defended his support of the impeachment of President Trump today, citing his oath of office.

Speaking ahead of the President’s visit to Michigan, Vice President Mike Pence talked impeachment during his first stop of a “bus tour” there.

Pence thanked the crowd at the “Workers for Trump” event for coming out, “on a blustery Michigan day.”

“On a day when there’s a lot of bluster in Washington, DC as well,” he added.

His message of standing with the President got him loud applause and occasional chants of “four more years” from the crowd.

“When this president stands up to the do-nothing Democrats, their endless investigations, and their partisan impeachment, we stand with President Donald Trump,” Pence said.

“It’s great to be with so many friends today, and to be out of Washington, DC,” the Vice President joked to the crowd. “Truthfully, friends, what’s happening on Capitol Hill is a disgrace. The first day of this administration, Democrats in Washington have been trying to overturn the results of the last election, and they’re back at it again today with their partisan impeachment vote.”

Rep. Buddy Carter, a Republican from Georgia, criticized the Democrats’ handling of the impeachment process against President Trump during today’s debate.

He argued that the Democrats’ process has made “a mockery of the rules of the House and is frankly dangerous to this country.”

Watch the moment:

Rep. Ross Spano, a Republican from Florida, lent his support to President Trump today on Capital Hill, calling the impeachment a “partisan” exercise.

Spano added: “The speaker was right in one way. This is incredibly divisive and has lowered the bar for what future presidents will face. I strongly oppose the articles before it today. I hope we will get past this nightmare and get results for the American people.”

Multiple GOP sources say President Trump has been ranting about impeachment in phone calls with GOP members over the last couple days and nights.

Much like we have seen in his letter and his tweets, GOP sources say Trump is furious and is expressing his fury to his allies as well.

Rep. Carol Miller, a Republican from West Virginia, mentioned the opioid epidemic, which has ravaged Appalachia, as one of the key issues that has been ignored while lawmakers have moved forward with the impeachment of President Trump.

Miller added: “We still have not finished securing our border. The opioid epidemic still rages in our communities and we still have not reached a bipartisan resolution on drug pricing.”

Rep. Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California, explained why he thinks today’s impeachment vote is important.

While Lieu doesn’t agree with Trump on key issues, he said the President has the right to move forward with his own policy, “but the President does not have the right to cheat and solicit foreign interference in our elections.”

“That is illegal, it is not what the voters elected him to do and we will not stand for it,” Lieu said.

Watch the moment:

President Trump, who said yesterday he wouldn’t watch today’s debate on the House floor, sent an all-caps tweet railing on impeachment proceedings. 

He tweeted:

Ten minutes prior to the tweet, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham put out a statement saying that the President would be, “working all day,” but “could catch some of the proceedings between meetings.”  

Rep. Jayapal on December 13.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington, said Trump implicated himself in the charges brought against him in the impeachment inquiry — calling the President “the smoking gun.”

Rep. Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, defended President Trump against the articles of impeachment.

Johnson followed this by slamming the Democrats: “They are trying to meet their own arbitrary, completely reckless and Machiavellian timeline to take down a President that they loathe.”

Watch the moment:

Asked how President Trump would be spending his day, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham passed along this statement:

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, a Republican from Wisconsin, accused Democrats of a “rush job” impeachment of President Trump.

“And why is there? Because they want to influence the 2020 elections,” he said.

The debate on the articles of impeachment continues.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, broke down why the President is facing two articles — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Rep. Doug Collins, a Republican from Georgia and the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, took issue with the impeachment process during his opening remarks.

Collins went on to add: “Before I close, I will have to recognize that even the Senate, the minority leader in the Senate recognizes that the house did not do their job because he can’t make the case to his own members so he’s having to ask for witnesses and ask for more time. I thought it hilarious that the minority leader in the Senate went out and did a press conference and said ‘they denied my witnesses, they denied my requests.’ Welcome to the club, Mr. Schumer.”

More on Schumer: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday rejected calls from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to allow witnesses at an expected Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.

“We don’t create impeachments,” McConnell said on the Senate floor. “We judge them.”

Watch the moment:

The House has begun debating the articles of impeachment. The leaders of the judiciary committee — chairman Jerry Nadler and ranking member Doug Collins — are running the debate.

Nadler kicked things off by yielding some time to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Collins, the top Republican on the Judiciary, is speaking right now.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rebuked President Trump at the start of the debate on the articles of impeachment, calling him an “ongoing threat to our national security.”

Pelosi added: “When the President’s wrongdoing was revealed, he launched an unprecedented, indiscriminate and categorical campaign of defiance and obstruction.”

Watch the moment:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor at the start of the debate.

She began by reading the salute the US flag.

“The republic for which it stands is what we are here to talk about today,” she added.

Watch the moment:

One of President Trump’s advisers said the President is “stunned” Democrats took their concerns about his dealings with Ukraine to the brink of impeachment.

Trump mentions a variation of this kind of reaction nearly every time the topic of impeachment comes up, the adviser said. He simply can’t believe it’s happening, the adviser continued.

Looking over the horizon to the 2020 campaign, this adviser argues impeachment actually helps Trump in his reelection bid.

“The enemy continues to be Washington,” the adviser said.

“Partisan impeachment will be weaponized to our advantage,” the adviser said, insisting Trump will paint himself as the victim to excite his base heading into the upcoming election battle.

The full House of Representatives is now debating the articles of impeachment against President Trump.

The debate is slated to last six hours.

Ahead of debate, the House clerk is now reading the text of the two articles of impeachment against President Trump. The two articles are abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

The House has voted and passed the rule for the debate on the articles of impeachment today.

The debate is expected to begin in just moments.

The six hours allotted for the debate will be divided equally by Democrats and Republicans.

The rule was approved with a vote of 228-197.

Two Democrats, Jeff Van Drew (who is expected to announce in the coming days that he is becoming a Republican) and Collin Peterson, split with the rest of their party to vote against the rule. All GOP members opposed it.

The timing of the debate could easily slide depending on Republican requests for procedural votes. Such votes would stop the debate clock.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler spoke with CNN while the House votes on the rules for today’s debate on the articles of impeachment.

“We vindicate the Constitution,” Nadler said when asked what today means to him.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of President Trump’s biggest allies, is now calling on the President’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to testify.

Graham wants Giuliani to come before the Senate Judiciary Committee he chairs, and before the Senate trial on impeachment.

“I’m going to be reaching out to Rudy, writing a letter saying you’re welcome to come to this committee, if you have something you’d like to share about corruption,” Graham said.

When asked whether Giuliani should be compelled to come or testify, Graham said Giuliani’s attendance “would be up to him.”

Giuliani recently returned from Ukraine, where he said he was actively investigating whether Ukraine had interfered in the 2016 US elections, and the role of Former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden in corrupt activities.

There is no evidence supporting Giuliani’s investigations, but he and Trump insist they have a case.

The House is voting on the rules to be followed today during the debate on the two articles of impeachment.

Here’s what you need to know about the rules:

Televisions in the White House Counsel’s office are tuned into the House impeachment debate today. Lawyers who have been leading the President’s defense are paying attention to the historic proceeding.

But one official says it’s still “business as usual” in the office today, as lawyers continue to prepare for the upcoming Senate trial the same way they have been for the last several weeks.

Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern, chairman of the rules committee, closed out his remarks by saying it’s “a cold, hard fact” that President Trump withheld military aid from Ukraine for personal gain.

McGovern added that Trump is “rolling out the welcome mat” for foreign interference in elections.

Watch the moment:

Rep. Tom Cole, a Republican from Oklahoma, claims his vote later today has nothing to do with his political party.

Watch more:

Rep. Jim Baird, a Republican from Indiana, defended President Trump, claiming he “did not commit any crimes.”

More on Trump and quid pro quo: The impeachment inquiry has uncovered at least three examples of the quid pro quo between the Trump administration and Ukraine, where US military aid and a White House visit were used as leverage to secure an announcement that Ukraine was investigating Trump’s rivals, according to documents and testimony from key witnesses.

The question of whether there was a quid pro quo is at the heart of the impeachment inquiry.

Watch the moment:

During her remarks moments ago, Rep. Barbara Lee, a Democrat from California, said President Trump exhibited a “pattern of corruption” that made impeachment necessary.

Watch the moment:

Rep. Joseph Kennedy, a Democrat from Massachusetts, just read a letter he wrote to his children about today’s vote.

Here’s what Kennedy said:

Watch the moment:

At least two more staff members have quit the office of Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Democrat.

The New Jersey freshman privately informed his staff that he plans to switch parties in the aftermath of the backlash for his position against impeachment, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.

The two staff members serve in his New Jersey district office, the source said, contradicting Van Drew’s claims that only his Washington staff had quit.

Van Drew told CNN yesterday: “We actually have all our staff in district, they’ve all stayed and they’re doing great.”

But sources say that is not the case.

With the two district staff members leaving, that brings the total up to at least eight aides leaving in protest over his decision.

Van Drew continued to play coy Tuesday about his decision to switch parties, he informed his staff several days ago that he planned to become a Republican, prompting the exodus.

Van Drew said the staff quit because “They were told to; they were told to… they had to or else they wouldn’t work again.” He refused to offer any evidence or any more specificity to back up they claim. The source also said that accusation is false.

Rep. Bradley Byrne, a Republican from Alabama, was critical of the impeachment of President Trump, calling the proceedings based on “hearsay, speculation and presumptions.”

Watch the moment:

House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney sought unanimous consent to require members to vote on the articles of impeachment by a manual roll call — meaning each member would be named and individually cast their vote vocally instead of through the electronic system the chamber uses for all roll-call votes. 

House Rules Committee Chair Jim McGovern shot down the request.

Democratic Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, a member of the rules committee, thanked the lawmakers from both sides of the aisle for their “civility” during yesterday’s contentious discussion about the rules of today’s impeachment proceeding.

Addressing the chair and ranking member of the rules committee, DeSaulnier thanked Reps. McGovern and Cole “for our civility last night.”

As the House moved to debate the rules that will guide today’s impeachment debate and votes, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, took to the Senate floor to accuse House Democrats of giving into “temptation.”

He called on them to “pull back from the precipice” of impeachment.

McConnell also repeated some of his attacks from yesterday against Sen. Chuck Schumer’s public call for witnesses in a Senate trial. 

McConnell also said the Senate will vote tomorrow on the government funding bills that passed the House.

Government funding runs out on Friday.

Rep. James Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina, justified his support of the impeachment of President Trump today as the only way to fulfill his oath of office that calls for defense of the Constitution against “all enemies foreign and domestic.”

Clyburn added: “Today, we have a President who seems to believe he is a king or above the law,” Clyburn said. “My faith leads me to take very seriously the following word of our oath to faithfully discharge the duties of the office so help me God.”

Watch the moment:

In his opening statement in the rule debate, Rep. Tom Cole, the ranking member on the rules committee, said he proposed that the amount of debate time about the articles be doubled from 6 to 12 hours.

That amendment was voted down last night, which Cole said was “disappointing.”

Watch the moment:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is on her way to the House floor, where lawmakers will vote on two articles of impeachment against President Trump.

When asked how she was feeling, Pelosi only said, “sad.”

Pelosi declined to answer any other questions.

Earlier this morning: Pelosi and her staff have instructed her caucus to show unity and not to gloat at all during the proceedings today, per multiple sources.

Pelosi wants the public to see Democrats as taking this moment seriously and not be seen as cheering the President’s impeachment.

Republican Rep. Tom Cole, the ranking member of the rules committee, said in his opening statement that he doesn’t believe the allegations against President Trump “actually rise to the level of an impeachable offense.”

The debate on the rules of the impeachment vote continues.

Rule Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts just finished giving a statement on the House floor. He called today a “democracy-defining moment.”

“Did President Trump and his top advisers corruptly withhold official government actions to obtain an improper advantage in the next election? We now know through the hard work of our investigative committees and the President’s own admission that the answer to that question is yes,” McGovern said.

He continued:

“The President of the United States endangered our national security. The President undermined our democracy. And the President — a successor to the same office as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln — betrayed his oath to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States. These aren’t opinions. These are uncontested facts.”

Watch more:

Today’s vote on the articles of impeachment in the House follows weeks of hearings conducted by the Intelligence Committee.

Learn more about the key lawmakers who ushered the impeachment forward:

Intelligence Committee chairman: Rep. Adam Schiff (D, CA-28) 

Intelligence Committee ranking member: Rep. Devin Nunes (R, CA-22)

Judiciary chairman: Rep. Jerry Nadler (D, NY-10)

Judiciary ranking member: Rep. Doug Collins (R, GA-09) 

At a morning meeting today, House Intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff privately told his colleagues that Republicans said they would limit the procedural objections in exchange for an extra hour debate, per a member who was present.

That’s why there is six hours of debate instead of five, as had been previously planned.

But the belief among Democrats was that the objections will be limited from here out; GOP sources are indicating the same privately.

The House just started the discussions on the rules that will govern the debate on the articles of impeachment.

Soon they’ll get into the debate over the two articles.

You will see a lot of Rep. Diana DeGette, a Democrat from Colorado, today.

She is serving as speaker pro tempore and presiding over the US House of Representatives for the debate on the impeachment of President Trump.

Here’s what Rep. DeGette said about this in a statement:

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy just introduced a resolution accusing Democratic House committee chairmen Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler of “abusing and exceeding their powers as chairman of committees.”

McCarthy’s motion cites the release of information like the whistleblower complaint and the announcement of a “wide-ranging investigation into the Trump/Giuliani Ukraine scheme” without consultation of the Ranking minority member.

McCarthy also accuses Schiff of engaging “in a false retelling of the July 25th, 2019, telephone conversation between President Trump and President Zelensky” of Ukraine.

Watch the moment:

We’re expecting a number of votes on procedural motions ahead of the debate on the articles of impeachment today.

The vote count for the Democrats in the majority to pass anything is 216.

Normally, in this session that number is 218, but there are vacancies in the House including for the seat of Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings who passed away.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her staff have instructed her caucus to show unity and not to gloat at all during the proceedings today, per multiple sources.

Pelosi wants the public to see Democrats as taking this moment seriously and not be seen as cheering the President’s impeachment.

This message has been conveyed in meetings and in emails from staff to member offices, per sources.

Rep. Eliot Engel, chair of the House Foreign Affairs committee, said today is “a solemn moment, and it shows the resilience of our democracy,”

“It’s a difficult time for everybody,” he told CNN as he walked into the Capitol ahead of today’s vote.

Rep. Mark Meadows, a close Trump ally, reiterated the GOP’s support for the President ahead of today’s vote in the House.

He says he doesn’t expect any Republican defections.

“We’ve been be very unified not only in our support of the President, but throughout really the whole impeachment process,” he added.

Majority leader Rep. Steny Hoyer, a Democrat from Maryland, says work will get “done by the end of the day” despite a motion for adjournment proposed by Republicans ahead of the vote on the articles for impeachment.

The motion for adjournment was made at about 9 a.m. ET.

Minority Whip Steve Scalise sent House Republicans an updated schedule just now, asking: “Who else is looking forward to a quiet, relaxing day around here?”

Here’s what the updated schedule for today’s proceedings look like:

Republicans have inserted a procedural vote to proceed the vote on the rule that would begin the impeachment debate on the House floor this morning.

House members must vote on that before the impeachment debate can begin.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, defended President Trump this morning in a CNN interview, claiming the President “did nothing to be impeached.”

The reason why Speaker Nancy Pelosi hasn’t said when the articles of impeachment will be transmitted is because she has to name impeachment managers in order to transmit the articles to the Senate, according to a senior Democratic aide.

In order to name managers, the articles have to pass the House and then the House has to debate and vote on a separate resolution giving Pelosi the authority to name the managers.

It is unclear exactly when that resolution will be voted on and when the managers could be named but it could be tonight.

As the stage is set for the House to vote on articles of impeachment against him today, President Trump is holding his usual morning meeting with top aides and members of the White House counsel’s office, per a person familiar, who framed it as business as usual.

This meeting is one Trump has had almost every day for weeks now as aides have plotted their way forward after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the impeachment inquiry in September.

Trump has spent the last 24 hours on the phone with top officials and Republican lawmakers, according to multiple people familiar with his calls. He expressed outrage at Pelosi and looked ahead to what his trial in the Senate will look like.

The House Rules Committee approved six hours of debate on the House floor today on the resolution to impeach President Trump.

The panel announced the parameters of the debate after voting to approve the rule on the impeachment articles along party lines last night.

Here’s what you need to know about the rules:

What else is happening today: The House will vote on the two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. No amendments will be allowed, according to the resolution approved by the rule-making committee tonight.

The House Rules Committee also allowed for the House to approve a resolution naming impeachment managers after the articles of impeachment have been passed.

The House is poised to make history today as it votes on impeachment articles against President Trump.

Here’s a breakdown of the schedule today:

President Trump expressed disbelief at his looming impeachment today, which he called, a “terrible Thing.” 

The “PRAYER” remark could be a reference to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying she prays for the President. In a letter to Pelosi yesterday, Trump said that Pelosi was, “offending Americans of faith” by saying she prayed for him. The evangelical voting block also plays a pivotal role in Trump’s base.

Read Trump’s tweet in full below:

House Judiciary ranking member Rep. Doug Collins, a Republican from Georgia, spoke with CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux this morning on Capitol Hill ahead of today’s historic vote on articles of impeachment against President Trump in the House, saying “It’s a sad day, but it’s not a surprising day … history will judge it.”

When asked whether he would lobby Sen. Mitch McConnell to allow witnesses for the Senate trial if they had any information that was exculpatory to the President, Collins said “the Senate will do what the Senate always does they’ll figure out how they want to handle it,” adding he would lobby McConnell to get this “trial over with.”

 “We’ve so lowered the bar on impeachment you can jump over it,” Collins added.

Malveaux also asked Collins if he or Republicans took any responsibility for the division and partisanship in the country, to which he responded “on impeachment it’s all Democratic on this one,” he replied. 

“I’m someone, if you look at my history, I’ve worked bipartisanly across this Congress many times Hakeem Jeffries is one of my closest friends in Congress. We worked on criminal justice reform… data privacy… where has that been this year?” he asked, adding that in the Judiciary committee have been focused on is investigating impeachment of this president.

The full House is expected to debate and vote on the articles of impeachment against President Trump this morning.

A simple majority of members need to vote to approve the articles in order to impeach Trump. Democrats have brought two Articles of Impeachment against Trump — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

What happens next: If the articles pass in the House as expected, the Republican-led Senate will hold a trial to decide if Trump should be removed from office. We’re not exactly sure when this will begin, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said it will be in the new year. Republicans and Democrats are negotiating how the proceedings would work (but keep in mind that the GOP holds a majority).

US first lady Melania Trump waits with President Donald Trump before a meeting with Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

It’s a dark day in America.

The House of Representatives is set to impeach an elected President accused of violating the nation’s trust and his oath to preserve, protect and defend bedrock constitutional values. Donald Trump will be only the third president in 240 years to be impeached – the ultimate trauma for the system of checks and balances, which will unleash fury that will boil for years.

The 45th President will be charged by the House Democratic majority with two articles of impeachment, namely abusing his power and obstructing Congress in a scheme to lure Ukraine into interfering in the 2020 election.

In Trump’s tumultuous presidency, the extreme has become routine, and hyper-partisanship has blurred the senses. But when the House votes to impeach Trump, a fateful step expected at some point Wednesday, it may become clear that this is also a somber moment of national political tragedy. After all, the House Democrats, who won a majority in the midterm elections on a mandate of curtailing Trump, will be making a rare statement that a President elected just three years ago should be forced from office.

Trump raged into his day of historic shame unrepentant – after saying he takes “zero” responsibility for impeachment – and feeling persecuted. He unleashed a fearsome attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the other Democrats in an extraordinary letter that expressed something like despair about the fate of his legacy.

“You are the ones obstructing justice. You are the ones bringing pain and suffering to our Republic for your own selfish personal, political and partisan gain,” Trump wrote, accusing Democrats of the very offenses of which he is accused.

Pelosi described Trump’s tirade as “really sick.”

Read the full story by Stephen Collinson here.

Here are the latest developments in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump: