The latest: Impeachment

The latest on the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump for “incitement of insurrection” after the events at the U.S. Capitol in Washington during the Electoral College certification of Joe Biden’s victory.

Trump “not guilty” of second impeachment, Senate votes

Saturday, Feb. 13, 1:50 p.m.

The United States Senate voted that former President Donald Trump was “not guilty” of “high crimes and misdemeanors” in one article on impeachment for “incitement of insurrection.”

The 57-43 vote was mostly along political lines in the evenly divided Senate. A two-thirds majority — 67 votes — would have been needed to convict the former president.

Utah’s pair of Republican Senators split their vote, with Sen. Mitt Romney voting “guilty” and Sen. Mike Lee voting “not guilty.”

Romney — the only Republican Senator to vote to convict Trump at the first impeachment trial — was joined by six other Republicans and 50 Senate Democrats to vote that Trump was guilty on Saturday. Those seven total GOP Senators were, NBC News reported:

• Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina
• Sen. Susan Collins of Maine
• Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
• Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah
• Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska
• Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania

Trump, the 45th President of the United States, is the first president in American history to have been impeached twice.

Trump’s defense attorney makes closing argument

Saturday, Feb. 13, 1:30 p.m.

Trump defense attorney Michael van der Veen made the final arguments in the former president’s defense. He told the Senate he wouldn’t speak long and spent about a half hour before the Senate.

• Van der Veen, quoting Trump’s Jan. 6 speech, said the former president intended his supporters to act “peacefully and patriotically.” 

“This trial has raised the question about words, actions and consequences,” the defense attorney asked, and blamed politicians and the media for inflammatory rhetoric. 

“Recognize the hypocrisy,” van der Veen told senators.

• “There is no evidence that Mr. Trump intended his words to incite violence,” the defense attorney said. Because his supporters planned ahead, Trump’s Jan. 6 speech could not have incited the deadly riot, he argued. 
• “The January exception argument is a creation of the House manager’s own conduct by delaying,” van der Veen said, and that the House could have moved forward with the trial before Trump left office. 
• He alleged that House impeachment managers “fabricated evidence.”

“As we have shown, Democrats were obsessed with impeaching Mr. Trump from the very beginning of his term,” and that the current trial was a “desperate attempt” by Democrats to ensure Trump doesn’t run for federal office in the future. 

• Van der Veen told Senators that they didn’t have jurisdiction to hold the trial.

A Senate majority has voted twice that the chamber does have constitutional jurisdiction to hear the trial.

• “I urge the Senate to acquit and vindicate the Constitution of this great republic,” the defense attorney closed.

The Senate then moved to vote.

House impeachment managers make their closing arguments

Saturday, Feb. 13, 12:50 p.m.

During their closing arguments, House impeachment managers took turns reviewing the case they made this week that former President Donald Trump should be convicted on “inciting an insurrection.”

• Trump incited and directed “thousands of people to attack the legislatives branch,” Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., said of the former president. “For that crime against the republic, he must be held accountable.”

“We’re in a dialog with our history,” Dean told the senators on their decision whether or not to convict the president.

• “The presidency comes with special powers” not offered to a private citizen, said Congressman Joe Neguse of Colorado. “And if those powers are abused, they can cause great damage to our country.”

“I fear like many of you do, that the violence we saw on that terrible day may be just the beginning,” Neguse said. “Senators, this cannot be the beginning. It can’t be the new normal. It has to be the end and that decision is in your hands.”

• House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., quoted the Biblical book of Exodus, saying “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.”

Raskin said he knew senators would decide on “impartial justice” because of their “love for our Constitution.”

“Is this America? What kind of America will we be? It’s now literally in your hands.,” Raskin told the Senators in closing, referencing Thomas Paine.

Lee objects over phone call characterization, delays trial again

Saturday, Feb. 13, 11:50 a.m.

While House impeachment managers were presenting their closing arguments Saturday, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, interrupted the trial, objecting again with the House impeachment managers’ characterization of the accidental phone call Trump made to Lee during the Jan. 6 deadly riot. 

• The interruption caused the trial to stop while senators discussed how to move forward. 
• Lee made a similar objection during the trial on Wednesday night.

After a short Senate quorum, Lee withdrew his objection.

Senate president pro tempore Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who’s presiding over the trial, reminded the chamber that new evidence cannot be added during closing arguments.

Earlier Saturday, Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee provided both sides with a cellphone call log showing the call Trump made to him during the deadly riot, The Washington Post reported. Deseret News first reported that Trump accidentally called Lee and was trying to contact freshman Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

Agreement reached to bypass witness, trial moves to closing arguments

Saturday, Feb. 13, 11 a.m.

After nearly two hours of delay and negotiations Saturday, the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is moving forward. 

Trump’s defense attorneys and House impeachment managers reached an agreement at around 10:45 a.m. MT Saturday to admit a statement from Republican Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler into the record instead of her testimony. The agreement between both sides bypassed the decision to subpoena additional witness or documents.

• The statement, released by Beutler Friday night, is “in support of the article of impeachment” and references a phone call between House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, and Trump during the Jan. 6 deadly Capitol riot.

Read the whole statement here:

CNN also reported about the phone call between McCarthy and Trump — citing “multiple Republicans briefed on it.”

• “Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are,” the former president said to McCarthy during the riot, CNN reported late Friday night. 
• “McCarthy insisted that the rioters were Trump’s supporters and begged Trump to call them off,” wrote CNN. 

The Senate then moved to begin closing arguments. House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team will have four total hour close their case.

Senate on recess

Saturday, Feb. 13, 9:45 a.m.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., asked that the trial recess until 10:30 a.m. MT.

Senate votes to subpoena witnesses and documents

Saturday, Feb. 13, 9 a.m.

The Senate voted 55-45 to subpoena witnesses and documents Saturday morning. This will delay what was expected to be a speedy close to the former president’s second impeachment trial.

The vote came after House impeachment manger Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., called on Republican Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler of Washington to testify, according to Politico.

• “Herrera Beutler on Friday night pleaded with former vice president Mike Pence and other Republicans with knowledge to come forward with their evidence about Trump’s conduct during the riots,” Politico reported.

The vote fell mostly along political lines, with Democrats voting to subpoena witnesses and documents. The entire caucus of Senate Democrats were joined by these Republican senators, according to The New York Times:

• Sen. Susan Collins of Maine
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
• Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah
• Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska
• Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina

The South Carolina senator threatened earlier in the week that if House impeachment managers called for witnesses during the trial, that Trump’s defense attorneys would subpoena a string of witnesses — mostly Democratic politicians — that have used strong language against the former Trump administration.

• “If you want a delay, it will be a long one with many, many witnesses,” Graham tweeted Saturday morning before the vote.

It was unclear how many witnesses would be called.

The Senate was still in quorum at 9:20 a.m. and the trail was essentially on hold until a decision was made on how to move forward.

Impeachment day 5: What to expect

Saturday, Feb. 13, 8:00 a.m.

The Senate will hear closing arguments.

Quick details:

• Today’s proceedings began at 8 a.m. MT.
• In an email to colleagues Saturday morning, Senator Mitch McConnell said he will vote to acquit Trump, according to The Washington Post.

What’s next?

A final vote in the trial could come today, which would allow senators to avoid a Sunday session, The New York Times reports.

Day 4 wraps up. Here’s when a vote is expected

Friday, Feb. 12, 4:40 p.m.

The fourth day of former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial wrapped up Friday.

The Senate plans to vote Saturday on whether or not to convict former President Trump. They are expected to meet at 8 a.m. MT on Saturday, Feb. 13.

House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team will have a total of four hours to present its closing argument on Saturday.

Here are the quick highlights from today:

• Trump’s defense lawyers opened up the day to present their argument. Much of the argument featured videos of Democratic leaders calling for a “fight” against President Trump.
• Later, senators asked questions to Trump’s defense lawyers and the House impeachment managers. Both sides seemed well-prepared to answer these questions.
• The Senate also praised officer Eugene Goodman and will honor him with a Congressional Gold Medal for his heroics on the day of the U.S. Capitol riots.
• The chamber gave standing ovations to Goodman and to the law enforcement officers that protected members of Congress and their staff during the Jan. 6 riot.

Sen. Marco Rubio asks if Trump conviction could set a precedent to impeach ... Hillary Clinton?

Friday, Feb. 12, 4:15 p.m.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., asked whether or not the current impeachment trial would set a precedent for a future House of Representatives to impeach someone from the past.

• Specifically, Rubio said that House could cave to “partisan pressure to ‘lock her up’” and impeach a former secretary of state.
• That was a not-so-subtle reference to Hillary Clinton, who served as secretary of state and was the recipient of “lock her up chants.”

Watch the moment below.

However, Trump was impeached while he was in office as president of the United States. Clinton was not impeached from her position.​

With passion, both sides defend their case to senators

Friday, Feb. 12, 4 p.m.

Senators continued to ask questions to impeachment managers and former President Trump’s defense lawyers in the impeachment trial.

As we reported earlier, the president’s lawyers and impeachment managers seemed well-prepared to answer these questions. Still, both sides took the opportunity to make their case for and against impeachment. Both sides lightly argued about whether or not there should be witnesses in the case.

• On several occasions, Trump’s lawyers alleged that they were unable to answer questions completely because the House had rushed to impeach Trump, and therefore, had a lack of evidence about what Trump — their client — knew about the Jan. 6 riot while it was happening.
• House impeachment managers countered, saying the former president could provide answers on what he did and didn’t know was going on on Jan. 6, but Trump had refused to testify at the trial.

Highlight:

• One highlight quote from Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.: ”If you rob a bank and on the way out the door you yell, ‘respect private property,’ that’s not a defense to robbing the bank.”
• Trump’s lawyer Michael van der Veen refused to answer questions about whether Trump won the election or not. He also didn’t answer whether or not Trump was perpetuating a lie that the election was stolen from him. He also ranted about the “miserable experience” of defending former President Trump.

Senators begin to ask questions

Friday, Feb. 12, 3 p.m.

On Friday afternoon, House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense lawyers began answering questions from senators.

• Both sides appeared prepared for some questions and at times read from prewritten answers.

Highlight:

Impeachment managers and defense attorneys disagreed on whether former President Trump knew Vice President Mike Pence had been removed from the Senate chamber by the Secret Service for his safety when Trump made a “disparaging” tweet about Pence’s decision to not overturn the Electoral College vote.

• Trump’s lawyers said the former president was unaware and that it wasn’t “a relevant question,” while the impeachment manager said that Trump — like everyone watching the Jan. 6 riot — was aware of Pence’s evacuation.

The Senate has four hours total to ask questions to the two sides.

Trump ‘most pro-police, anti-mob-rule president’ ever, said defense attorney

Friday, Feb. 12, 1:15 p.m.

After the lunch recess, lead defense attorney Bruce Castor said there was “clearly no insurrection” and announced the defense was going to end its presentation in an hour.

Castor said, like he had earlier in the week, that Trump and his team “denounce” the “horrific” Jan. 6 riot on the Capitol. 

• “By any measure, President Trump is the most pro-police, anti-mob-rule president this country has ever seen.”

The lead defense attorney accused House impeachment managers of selectively editing videos to incriminate the former president, saying they “manipulated President Trump’s words.”

Castor read a pair of Jan. 6 tweets by the former president, which he said show that Trump was encouraging the rioters to not be violent.

• One from around 2:30 p.m. which told his supporters to “stay peaceful.”
• A second from around 3:15 p.m. that said to “respect the law.”

Castor then addressed the Democrats and Republicans in the chamber during his closing statements. The defense team used about 3¹⁄₂ of its allotted 16 hours.

• “I hope, truly, that the next time you are in the minority, you don’t find yourself in this position,” he said to Democrats who lead the House and Senate.
• “Please resist what will be an overwhelming temptation to do this very same thing to the opposing party,” he asked of Republicans, for when they gain a majority in the future.

The Senate then broke for another short recess at about 1:15 p.m.

Next, House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team would take questions from senators.

What happened during the morning impeachment session

Friday, Feb. 12, noon

The morning defense told the same story again and again.

• The defense team for President Donald Trump spent much of the morning session of the Senate impeachment trial recycling the same argument — that House impeachment managers had misrepresented President Trump’s words.
• Several times throughout the morning, the defense team showed longer clips of Trump speaking than what the House impeachment showed.
• The defense also showed clips of Democratic leaders encouraging Americans to “fight” the Trump administration. The defense even debated how the word “fight” should be used and what it means.
• They argued that “fight” isn’t necessarily a call to action, but political rhetoric.

The Senate broke for a lunch recess at 11:55 a.m. MT.

Defense attorney says both parties have used ‘inflammatory language’

Friday, Feb. 12, 11:30 a.m.

Defense attorney Michael van der Veen asked the senators if Trump’s Jan. 6 speech met the threshold for First Amendment protections. He said it did.

• This case is about “political hatred” and “has no place in our political institutions,” he said. 

The defense attorney said political language from both parties has become more heated and replayed the video of Democrats saying “fight” in several contexts.

• “We agree with the House managers that context does matter,” van der Veen said, and that “inflammatory language” in recent history by both parties has been alarming. 
• “We should all acknowledge that rhetoric has got to be too much.”

The defense attorney said the House impeachment managers’ belief that the First Amendment doesn’t apply to Trump’s speech is “untenable” and “illogical.”

Impeachment managers misrepresented Trump’s words, defense lawyer says

Friday, Feb. 12, 11 a.m.

Trump defense attorney David Schoen attacked the House impeachment managers’ case during his opening remarks Friday, comparing clips presented by the impeachment managers, as well as the tweets shown in the case.

• “The hatred that the house managers and others on the left have for President Trump has driven them to skip the basic elements of due process and fairness.”

Schoen showed two videos during the presentation. One showed Democratic leaders talking about punching or speaking ill of Trump which was played twice during the Friday morning presentation.

• Another video showed Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other Democratic leaders saying “fight” over and over again.

Trump’s defense team begins to make its case

Friday, Feb. 12, 10:30 a.m.

Trump defense attorney Michael T. van der Veen began to lay out arguments for why senators should not vote to convict former president Donald Trump for “incitement of insurrection.” Van der Veen called Trump’s second impeachment an “appalling abuse of the Constitution,” a “witch hunt” and “plainly unconstitutional,”

• “No thinking person could seriously believe that the president’s Jan. 6 speech on the Ellipse was an incitement to violence or insurrection.” 

Van der Veen went on to compare Trump’s contest of the 2020 presidential election to that of Democrats of the 2016 results. 

The defense attorney said these debates were the exercising of “democratic systems as the founders and lawmakers have designed.”

Van der Veen alleged that the first person arrested after the protest was the leader of antifa — not a Trump a supporter.

Van der Veen argued that when Trump told supporters on Jan. 6, “if you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore,” that it was “ordinary political rhetoric” similar to the languages that has been used by both parties throughout American history.  

The Senate has voted twice — on Jan. 26 and Feb. 9 — that the Senate does have constitutional grounds to hold the impeachment trial.

GOP senators met with Trump’s defense team

Friday, Feb. 12, 8:45 a.m.

Three Republican senators (Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Mike Lee of Utah) met with former President Donald Trump’s impeachment defense team after the House impeachment managers concluded their arguments to the Senate Thursday afternoon, The Hill reported.

Each of the senators had previously voted against the Senate’s constitutional ability to hold the trial, a belief that have now has been voted down twice in the chamber.

• “We were discussing their legal strategy and sharing our thoughts,” Cruz told reporters after the meeting.

At the conclusion of Trump’s second impeachment trial — which could be as early as this weekend — senators will vote on whether on not to convict Trump.

Impeachment day 4: What to expect

Friday, Feb. 12, 8:30 a.m.

Former President Donald Trump’s defense team will state its case on Friday that will counter the claim that Trump incited an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

• Trump’s team has 16 hours (or two eight-hour days) to present its full case to the Senate.
• The defense team is expected to use one of the two days, per The Washington Post.
• David Schoen, one of Trump’s attorneys, said the defense could last only three to four hours, The New York Times reported.

Quick details:

• Today’s proceedings are set begin at 10 a.m. MT.
• Trump’s defense team plans to move quickly through their argument.
• Trump’s team will argue that it’s improper to impeach a former president. And, according to The New York Times, they will argue that Trump “was never in control of his supporters’ actions, and that his expressions of frustration about the election were not overt calls to violence but opinions protected as free speech under the Constitution.”

What’s next?

House Democrats finished laying out their case Thursday. A final vote in the trial could come Saturday, which would allow senators to avoid a Sunday session, The New York Times reports.

Lead prosecutor has questions for Trump

Thursday, Feb. 11, 2:40 p.m.

House impeachment manager Rep. Raskin — the trial’s lead prosecutor — said he had several questions for former President Donald Trump, who’d declined to attend his second impeachment trial.

• “Why did President Trump not tell his supporters to stop the attack on the Capitol as soon as he learned of it?” 
• “Why did President Trump do nothing to stop the attack for at least two hours after the attack began?” 
• “As our constitutional commander in chief, why did he do nothing to send help to our overwhelmed and besieged law enforcement officers for at least two hours on Jan. (6) after the attack began?”
• “On Jan. 6, why did President Trump not at any point that day condemn the violent insurrection in the insurrectionist?”

Raskin then added one legal question to Trump’s defense team.

• “If a president incited a violent insurrection against our government, would that be a high crime and misdemeanor? Can we all agree, at least on that?”

Raskin calls for ‘common sense’ in closing argument

Thursday, Feb. 11, 2:35 p.m.

Rep. Raskin issued the impeachment manager’s argument by channeling Founding Father Thomas Paine.

• Raskin said Paine, who wrote the book “Common Sense,” embraced the idea of having common sense when considering the rule of law. Raskin said Senate voters should have “common sense” when deciding what to do with Trump’s impeachment trial.
• “As our constitutional commander in chief, why did he do nothing to send help to our overwhelmed and besieged law enforcement officers for at least two hours on Jan. 6 after the attack began?”

The Democrats finished their argument 4 1/2 hours earlier than expected. The impeachment managers had eight hours today to make their case.

The Senate will hear from President Trump’s legal team on Friday. The defense will present its case beginning at 10 a.m. MT.

Trump doesn’t have a First Amendment defense, impeachment manager says

Thursday, Feb. 11, 2:05 p.m.

Raskin said there are flaws to Trump’s legal argument that the former president’s speech was within his First Amendment rights. Raskin called it a “brazen” argument that “won’t hold up in any way.”

By promising to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United of the States” — Trump’s oath of office — the former president had a responsibility to the Constitution, Raskin said. 

Courts have determined that other public professions, like teachers, are not allowed to say whatever they want — their First Amendment right — while teaching, and neither should the president, Raskin said. 

• “You can’t ride with the cops and root for the robbers,” Raskin said of Trump’s incitement of his supporters, quoting former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. 

Incitement of his supporters to riot at the Capitol was a “direct attack on our own freedom of speech,” Raskin said of Congress, who was forced to temporarily stop certifying the 2020 Electoral College vote on Jan. 6.

Raskin said Trump isn’t the man yelling “fire” in a theater, but a fire chief who encouraged a mob to set the theater ablaze. 

• “If this is not impeachable, then what is? What would be?” the congressman added later.

‘The world is watching,’ says Rep. Castro

Thursday, Feb. 11, 1:15 p.m.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, told members of the Senate how the international community responded to the Jan. 6 riot and that America needs to show the world how it addresses “insurrection.”

• “We must stand up for the rule of law, because the rule of law doesn’t just stand up for itself,” he said.

The congressman from Texas said Chinese and Russian governments took the opportunity to say that democracy doesn’t work as a form of government. 

• “The world is watching and wondering,” Castro said, to see how American will react to the “insurrection.” 
• “Let us show the world that Jan, 6 was not America. And let us remind the world, we are truly its North Star,” said Castro, by convicting Trump.

Cicilline outlines dangers and trauma caused by the deadly riot

Thursday, Feb. 11, 12:20 p.m.

Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., said Trump supporters rioting at the Capitol had put the presidential line of succession in danger. Former Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley — the first, second and third in the line of succession — were each in the Capitol during the deadly riot. 

Cicilline’s presentation included interviews with congressional staffers who described their traumatic experiences during the riot. One staffer, Cicilline said, quit their job on the Hill after being locked down for six hours.  

• “I won’t forget that sound,” another staffer said of the House chamber’s windows breaking.

Staffers and law enforcement officers said Trump’s supporters used racial slurs during the riot.

The congressman from Rhode Island said nearly 70 congressional staffers have since tested positive for the coronavirus after hiding in offices together and almost 200 members of the National Guard who were called in to protect the Capitol have tested positive. 

Cicilline said law enforcement officers who responded on Jan. 6 were also struggling with the traumatic effects of the riot, and one had turned in their firearm, scared they’d use it on themselves. 

• “I’ve talked to officers who have done two tours in Iraq, who said this was scarier to them than their time in combat,” a law enforcement officer told The Washington Post, according to Cicilline. The Post reported the comment was made by acting D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III.

Four “insurrectionists” — Trump supporters — also died in the riot, Cicilline said. 

• “Today we have to stand up for our democracy and ensure we remain a country governed by the people, for the people, by telling Donald Trump ... that his crimes will not, and cannot, stand,” the congressman closed.

The impeachment trial broke for a lunch recess at about 12:10 p.m. ET.

Raskin uses past examples to show Trump could incite future violence

Thursday, Feb. 11, 11:30 a.m.

House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., showed past moments when Trump supported violent behavior of his supporters. 

These instances included statements made by the former president in the wake of the deadly 2017 “Unite The Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Trump’s 2020 comments at a rally in Michigan where he didn’t publicly oppose a conspiracy to kidnap and kill the Democratic governor there, according to Raskin.

Raskin said Trump’s incitement of supporters was not a “radical break” of the former president’s normal behavior, but Trump’s “state of mind” and “essential M.O.” — modus operandi, or normal state of operating.

• “My dear colleagues, is there any political leader in this room who believes that if he is ever allowed by the Senate to get back into the Oval Office, Donald Trump would stop inciting violence to get his way?” Raskin asked the senators.
• “Would you bet the lives of more police officers on that? Would you bet the safety of your family on that? Would you bet the future of your democracy on that?”

Raskin told the room of senators and members of Congress that they could only “blame themselves” if Trump gets back in office and there is future violence.

Trump sent the rioters to the Capitol, Rep. DeGette tells senators

Thursday, Feb. 11, 10:30 a.m.

Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., began Thursday’s impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump by telling senators she was one of the “unlucky” members of Congress stuck in the House chamber during the riot. She laid out an argument that the rioters were “taking orders from their commander in chief.”

• “They said they came here because the president had instructed them to do so,” DeGette said of Trump’s supporters who stormed the Capitol. 
• “We are listening to Trump, your boss,” rioters told law enforcement officers in one video Jan. 6.
• “We were invited,” others shouted outside of the Capitol.

DeGette showed several interviews with Trump supporters arrested for participating in the riot, each said they were in D.C. because the twice impeached president asked them to show up.

Like what other impeachment managers had said the day prior, DeGette reminded senators that Trump had told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”

• “They were waiting for their orders, which they got on Jan. 6,” the congresswoman said.

Senators emotionally relive Jan. 6 riot during Wednesday’s trial

Thursday, Feb. 11, 9:55 a.m.

On Wednesday, some senators were moved — and appeared emotional — at watching the House impeachment managers’ recap of the deadly Capitol uprising on Jan. 6 by showing previously unreleased video and security footage, Politico reported. The images showed just how close members of Congress were to being overrun and attacked by Trump’s supporters, some who said they intended to kill the former Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

• “We lived this once and that was awful. And we’re now, we’re living with a more comprehensive timeline,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. “Just the total awareness of that, the enormity of this, this threat, not just to us as people, as lawmakers, but the threat to the institution and what Congress represents. It’s disturbing. Greatly disturbing.”
• “It’s painful to see,” Sen. Lankford, R-Okla., told reporters after watching the House impeachment manager’s video of the deadly riot. “Who ... thinks, ‘I’m going to show that I’m right by smashing into the Capitol’? Who would do that?”

Politico reported that Lankford appeared to shed tears and was comforted by Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont.

But not all senators were moved by the horrifying images. 

• “The ‘Not Guilty’ vote is growing after today,” said longtime Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Twitter Wednesday evening. “I think most Republicans found the presentation by the House Managers offensive and absurd.”

Impeachment day 3: What to expect

Thursday, Feb. 11, 8:30 a.m.

House Democrats will finish laying out their case Thursday that former President Donald Trump incited an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to CNN.

• Trump’s defense will begin their response on Friday. They will have 16 hours to do so, according to CNN. However, they are not expected to use all of that time.

Quick details:

• Today’s proceedings are set begin at 10 a.m. MT.
• The House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team both have 16 hours to present their cases. But they will be limited to eight hours per day of the trial. The House managers presented for eight hours on Wednesday. The same is expected for Thursday.
• Per The New York Times, Trump’s defense team plans to move quickly through their argument. In fact, Trump defense lawyer David Schoen withdrew a previous request to pause the trial on Friday to observe the Jewish Sabbath, according to The New York Times.

How the rest of the trial shapes out:

The prosecution will finish laying out their case of impeachment on Thursday. Trump’s defense team will speak for eight hours at most. Then, senators will be allowed to question both sides for four hours total, according to CNN. They will have to submit written questions to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the Senate president pro tempore, who is presiding over the trial.

• The Senate will then consider motions to subpoena witnesses and documents for the case, according to NPR.

Day 2 finishes with Utah Sen. Mike Lee

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 5:34 p.m.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee asked Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Senate president pro tempore presiding over the trial, to strike comments from the record that were made during the impeachment trial.

Read more about Lee’s objection here.

The Senate adjourned for the day. The trial will resume Thursday at 10 a.m. MT.

Rep. Castro says 140 law enforcement officers were injured, several died, because of the insurrection

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 5:05 p.m.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, spoke about Trump’s failure to call off the insurrection or to activate the National Guard to help the overrun Capitol police. 

“The message around the president was clear, from everyone,” Castro said, after showing clips of congressmen on live television asking Trump to call off the riot. 

• “But does he? No.”
• “Donald Trump did not send help to these (law enforcement) officers that were badly outnumbered, overwhelmed and beaten down.”

Castro said Trump had reportedly refused to deploy the National Guard to aid Capitol police and that it was then-Vice President Mike Pence and White House counsel that helped activate the National Guard. 

Ultimately, the congressman said, 140 law enforcement officers were injured, one was killed and others had taken their own lives in the wake of the riot.

Trump’s phone call with Mike Lee during riots put into the spotlight

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 5:05 p.m.

Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline mentioned the phone call between Utah Sen. Mike Lee and President Donald Trump during the U.S. Capitol riots when the Senate reconvened for the ongoing impeachment trial.

Cicilline used the example of the phone call as an argument that Trump did not care about the ongoing attack, saying Trump wanted to speak with Sen. Tommy Tuberville about the certification process at the time — not the riot.

• “These attackers stood right where you are. ... They rifled through your desks and they desecrated this place, and literally, the president sat delighted, doing nothing to stop it, calling one of you to pressure you to stop the certification.”

As the Deseret News reported, Lee had just ended a prayer with some of his colleagues in the chamber during the riots when he received a phone call from Trump.

• “How’s it going, Tommy?” the president asked Lee, a reference to Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville.
• Lee said he wasn’t Tommy.
• “Well, who is this? Trump asked. 
• “It’s Mike Lee,” the senator replied. “Oh, hi Mike. I called Tommy.”
• Lee handed the phone to Tuberville, who spoke with Trump for 10 minutes.

Cicilline said Trump’s family, closest advisers and members of Congress all reached out to Trump to ask him to tell the rioters to stop, but Trump didn’t listen.

• “Nothing. Not. A Thing,” Cicilline said of what the former president did after hearing the please from aids and bipartisan politicians. 

Cicilline said Trump’s actions to incite the riot, and lack of response to his supporter’s storming of the Capitol, was a “breathtaking dereliction of duty.”

• “We have to make this right, and you can make this right,” the congressmen said, encouraging senators to vote to convict the twice impeached president.

More footage of U.S. Capitol riots revealed

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 3:27 p.m.

California Rep. Eric Swalwell aired new footage Wednesday afternoon from the U.S. Capitol riots just before the Senate broke for a dinner recess.

• Swalwell played a recording of law enforcement calls for help over the radio. The law enforcement officers fighting off the rioters said that rocks, bottles and flag poles were thrown at them and that the rioters were using “munitions” and “bear spray.”

The congressman showed images of Trump supporters wearing helmets, tactical vests and carrying flex cuffs — a type of handcuff used by law enforcement officers and the military.

• “Imagine what they could’ve done with those cuffs,” Swalwell said.

Swalwell’s footage included testimonies from police officers, who spoke about what happened at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Rep. Swalwell texted wife during deadly riot

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 3:05 p.m.

As Trump supporters approached the House chamber on Jan. 6, Congressman Eric Swalwell said he texted his wife:

• “I love you and the babies, please hug them for me.”

Members of the House had been told to be prepared to put on gas masks, which were under their chairs. A colleague, he said, began to pray.

House members also began removing pins attached to their clothing which marked them as a member of Congress.

Previously unseen footage of deadly U.S. Capitol riots shown by Del. Plaskett

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2:45 p.m.

After a short recess around 2 p.m. MT, Delegate Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands, walked senators through a minute-by-minute storming of the Capitol building on Jan. 6.

• “It was an attack to our republic. To our democratic process,” the congresswoman said.

The presentation included video clips of mobs of Trump supporters attacking law enforcement officers and rioters breaking through barriers and Capitol doors. She also played radio recordings of Capitol police officers — whose voices sound worried and anxious — asking for backup and that there had already been multiple law enforcement injuries.

Plaskett showed footage and audio that, she said, had not previously been made public. The footage showed rioters storming the Capitol, inciting fights with the D.C. officers and breaking inside.

Here’s how she described all of the footage before it was shown: ”As the video begins, we are seeing the inside view as the mob approaches from outside and beats the windows and doors.”

• More footage showed security footage from inside the Capitol. The footage did not have audio, but showed what the break-in into Congress looked like from the inside.
• One of the first people to break through was wearing full riot gear, Plaskett said. Another carried a Confederate flag. A third held a Trump flag.
• More footage showed officer Eugene Goodman rushing Utah Sen. Mitt Romney to safety during the U.S. Capitol riots, too.

Before the footage aired, Raskin warned Congress about the potential violent footage:

• “There is some very graphic, violent footage coming, just so people are aware.” 

The congresswoman showed an image of gallows that Trump supporters brought to the Capitol while some of the rioters chanted “Hang Mike Pence.”

• “The mob was looking for Vice President Pence because of his patriotism,” Plaskett told senators, because the former vice president “refused to overturn the election results.”

Plaskett showed video of rioters looking for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, and explained how Pelosi’s staff had to barricade themselves in an office.

Trump would have known about violence after history from some supporters

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 1:25 p.m.

Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands offered a pointed look at past violence from Trump supporters as a reason for the U.S. Capitol riots.

She made the case that Trump would have known about potential violence due to the past behavior of his supporters.

• “For anyone who says Donald Trump didn’t know the violence he was inciting, I ask you to consider: His supporters tried to drive a bus off the highway ... to intimidate his opponents’ campaign workers and his response was to ... call those individuals ... patriots.”

She specifically shared a video from Dec. 12, 2020, in which the Proud Boys group participated in violence in Washington, D.C., according to NPR. Plaskett said Trump began organizing the Jan. 6 rally the day after the Dec. 12, 2020, rally.

• “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by,” Trump told the self-described “western chauvinists” organization at a September presidential debate.
• The FBI labeled the organization an extremist group late last year, NPR reported. 

​She accused Trump of becoming directly involved in the Jan. 6 rally, picking the music and choosing potential speakers. She said the permit to march to the Capitol was not approved until after former President Trump got involved in the process.

Plaskett also cited FBI reports and “hundreds and hundreds” of social media posts that showed supporters of Trump were prepared to become violent at the Jan. 6 rally.

• “This is why he must be convicted and disqualified,” the congresswoman said of Trump at the conclusion of her remarks.

​Trump put pressure on officials to overturn the election, Lieu says

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 12:35 p.m.

House impeachment managers Reps. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., and Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said Trump tried to retain the presidency, after losing the popular and Electoral College vote in November, in five ways. They said Trump did that by:

• Ignoring adverse court rulings.
• Pressuring and threatening election officials.
• Attacking senators and members of Congress.
• Pressuring the Justice Department.
• Attacking the vice president.

Congressman Ted Lieu highlighted how former President Donald Trump pressured senators, House members and local officials into changing election results.

• “Let me be very clear, the president wasn’t just coming for one or two people, or Democrats like me, he was coming for you. For Democratic and Republican senators. He was coming for all of us. Just as the mob did, at his direction.”

• Lieu said Trump would “do anything” and “pressure anyone” to overturn the election results.
• “But all his efforts prior to Jan. 6 kept failing.”
• “President Donald J. Trump ran out of nonviolent options to retain power.”

Lieu said Trump turned on Vice President Mike Pence, pressuring him to not certify the election results. He showed a clip of Trump telling his supporters that Pence should “come through for us.” He said if Pence didn’t come through for him, he wouldn’t like him as much.

• “Finally, in his desperation, he turned on his own vice president.”
• Like previous presentations on Wednesday, Trump’s tweets were used in the trial to show how he called for Pence to help change election results.
• Lieu said Pence “stood strong and certified the election.” He also said Pence “showed us what it means to be an American, what it means to show courage.”

Charging documents: Jan. 6 rioters wanted to murder Pelosi and Pence

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 12:10 p.m.

Congressman Joe Neguse, D-Colo., one of the nine House impeachment managers, used part of his time addressing the Senate Tuesday to cite the intent of some of Trump’s supporters on the day of the deadly riot. He cited statements from charging documents, according to CSPAN.

• “We broke into the Capitol. We got inside. We did our part. We were looking for Nancy Pelosi to shoot her in the friggin’ brain, but we didn’t find her.”

An affidavit says that one group wanted to kill then-Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and wanted to come back later on Inauguration Day to kill anyone they could.  

Trump incited supporters to ‘stop the steal’ on Jan. 6, says impeachment manager

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 11:40 a.m.

Impeachment manager Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said that Trump’s “false, outlandish lies” were not just the fuel he used to toss onto the fire of his supporters, but that those lies were part of the “tinder, kindling and logs” Trump used to build the fire for “months and months” ahead of the 2020 election and the Jan. 6, 2021, deadly Capitol riot.

The impeachment manager showed tweets made by the president and videos of Trump’s supporters protesting at election locations and showing up with rifles to the homes of state election officials.

• “There is plenty of evidence that his words had consequences,” Swalwell said of Trump’s statements before and after the election. 
• “And if he wanted to stop it, he could stop it,” Swalwell said, and that Trump was never shy about using his platform to try and stop something. Trump said multiple times on Twitter to “stop the steal.” 

Trump instead used his platform as president to “incite” his supporters, Salwell told the Senate, and that Trump told his supporters to “Be there. Will be wild!” on Jan. 6 — referencing a tweet from Trump in December.

Trump’s refusal to accept election results led to riots, Castro says

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 11:11 a.m.

Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro made the case that U.S. Capitol rioters were provoked by former President Donald Trump’s constant remarks that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, and that the results were fake.

• “This attack did not come from one speech, and it didn’t happen by accident. The evidence shows clearly that this mob was provoked over many months by Donald J. Trump.”
• “There’s a saying that a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put on its shoes ... and that’s especially true when that lie is told by the most powerful person on earth.”

Castro’s argument included video clips of Trump talking about the election results before the election event took place. He also showed clips from after Biden’s victory, claiming victory despite the results going the other direction.

• “This is clearly a man who refuses to accept the possibility or the reality in our democracy of losing an election.”
• “He told his supporters the only way he could lose the election is if it was stolen.”

C​astro also showed images of Trump’s tweets, which included calls to “stop the count.”

House impeachment manager says Trump became ‘inciter-in-chief’

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 10:35 a.m.

In his opening remarks on the second day of the second impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump, House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., called the Senate trial “a moment of truth for America,” not a contest between America’s two political parties. 

“The factual inquiry of the trial is squarely posed for us, the jurisdictional constitutional issue is gone,” Raskin said.

The impeachment manager explained that the question of the impeachment trial’s constitutionality, which was the focus of Tuesday’s opening day debate, was behind the Senate who’d voted 56-44 that the Senate had the authority to hear the trial. 

“The evidence will show you that ex-President Trump was no innocent bystander. The evidence will show that he clearly incited the Jan. 6 insurrection,” Raskin said. 

“It will show that Donald Trump surrendered his role of commander in chief and became the inciter in chief,” he added.

Impeachment day 2: What to expect

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 8:50 a.m.

House Democrats will lay out the case for convicting former President Donald Trump on Wednesday as the Senate impeachment trial continues.

Senators voted Tuesday to move forward with the trial, which will decide whether Trump is guilty in inciting a deadly mob riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Quick details:

• The trial is set to begin at 10 a.m. MT.
• The House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team both have 16 hours to present their cases. But they will be limited to eight hours per day of the trial.
• Neither side is expected to use all of their time, The New York Times reports.
• “Wednesday’s arguments may very well establish the pace for the rest of the proceedings,” according to The New York Times.

How it will work:

The prosecution and the defense will both present their arguments. Senators will be allowed to question the two sides for four hours, according to NBC News. They will have to submit written questions to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the Senate president pro tempore, who is presiding over the trial.

Then, there will be four hours divided between both sides for arguments about whether or not the Senate will consider motions to subpoena witnesses and documents for the case, according to NPR. It’s unclear if this happens today since we don’t know how fast the opening arguments or senators’ questions will go.

Reports: Trump upset with impeachment lawyers after day 1

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 8:40 a.m.

Former President Donald Trump was reportedly unhappy with his impeachment lawyer Bruce Castor’s opening argument during the impeachment trial Tuesday, CNN reports.

• Castor’s opening statement and argument in the trial praised the trial’s House impeachment managers.
• “Trump was almost screaming as Castor struggled to get at the heart of his defense team’s argument, which is supposed to be over the constitutionality of holding a trial for a president no longer in office,” according to CNN.
• “President Trump was not happy with the performance of his legal team in action,” one source told Politico.

Trump’s impeachment defense team reportedly wasn’t prepared for the emotional appeal from Democrats, who shared video footage of the U.S. Capitol riots on Tuesday morning, per NPR. Trump’s team “is now working to regroup, though no major changes were imminent,” one source told NPR.

GOP Sen. Cassidy explains his vote on constitutionality

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 4:10 p.m.

After previously voting against the constitutionality of Trump’s second impeachment trial on Jan. 26, Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy changed his mind Tuesday and joined five other Senate Republicans who’d previously supported the trial of the former president. The Republican senator said the House impeachment managers “had much stronger constitutional arguments” than Trump’s defense lawyers.

“A sufficient amount of evidence of constitutionality exists for the Senate to proceed with the trial,” Cassidy said in statement on Twitter, adding that his vote on constitutionality “is not a prejudgement on the final vote to convict.”

“If anyone disagrees with my vote and would like an explanation, I ask them to listen to the arguments presented by the House Managers and former President Trump’s lawyers” he added.

Senate votes 56-44 to move forward with Trump’s second impeachment trial

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 3:20 p.m.

After nearly four hours of debate on constitutionality, the Senate voted 56-44 to move forward with the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. 

Senate Republicans Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — who’d previously voted against the chamber’s impeachment trial — joined the entire caucus of Senate Democrats to continue the hearing tomorrow.

Most Republicans, including Utah’s Sen. Mike Lee, continued to stand with former President Trump and his attorneys.

The trial will resume at noon Wednesday.

Schoen says Sen. Leahy shouldn’t be presiding over Senate trial

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 3 p.m.

Schoen said Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who is presiding over the Senate impeachment trial and will later participate in the Senate vote on whether or not to convict Trump, is not an unbiased arbiter of the former president’s impeachment.

The Trump defense attorney said Leahy will act as “judge” and “jury.” As alleged proof, Schoen cited a Jan. 13 press release from Leahy that supported the House’s impeachment of the former president.

“We must act together now not just to hold President Trump accountable, but to ensure that no future president, no matter their party, places at risk our democracy in service of their own selfish, illegal, and authoritarian ambitions,” the press release reads. 

In a statement Tuesday morning, Leahy said he “did not ask or seek to preside over this trial” and that he would “enforce the Senate rules and precedents governing decorum and do what I can to ensure this trial reflects the best traditions of the Senate.”

The Constitution says the chief justice of the Supreme Court will preside “when the President of the United States is tried.” Because Trump is now a former president, Chief Justice John Roberts decided he was not constitutionally required to oversee the trial, The Hill reported. 

Trump’s defense attorney (loudly) claims impeachment trial will hurt U.S. unity

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2:31 p.m.

David Schoen, the defense lawyer for former President Trump, spent the bulk of his opening argument saying the trial won’t help the nation heal — it will tear it apart.

• Schoen, who spoke loudly during his open argument, said the trial makes him want to “cry” because of what it means to the U.S. Constitution.
• “At the end of the day, this is not just about Donald Trump or any individual. This is about our Constitution and abusing the impeachment for power and political gain.”
• He said the ongoing impeachment effort is “a chance by a group of partisan politicians seeking to eliminate Donald Trump from the American political scene and seeking to disenfranchise 74 million-plus American voters.”

Trump’s defense team also showed a video of lawmakers calling for Trump’s impeachment, too. Most of the video included clips of House lawmakers calling for impeachment in 2017.

Schoen also said Trump shouldn’t be tried for impeachment because he’s now a private citizen.

• “The trial in the Senate of a private citizen is not permitted.”

Castor says impeachment trial will set a dangerous precedent

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2 p.m.

Castor called the trial a “slippery slope” that would set a precedent that congressional majorities would in the future be able to impeach former public officials they view as a “political danger.” 

• “The only entity that stands between the bitter infighting” that led to the fall of Greece and Rome and the “American republic, is the Senate of the United States.” 
• “Shall the business of the Senate, thus the nation, come to a halt because impeachment becomes the rule rather than the rare exception?” Castor asked the senators. 
• “The real reason we’re here,” Castor said, is that members of Congress don’t want to face Trump in future elections.

Trump’s lead defense attorney denounces ‘storming’ of Capitol

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 1:15 p.m.

Bruce Castor, the lead defense attorney for Trump, began his potion of the constitutional debate of the impeachment by denouncing the “storming” of the Capitol — a building he called the “citadel of democracy.” 

He added that “anyone representing the former President Trump” would only use the “most vigorous terms” to denounce those who broke into the Capitol building.

Impeachment managers refer to Trump’s tweets during deadly riot

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 12:30 p.m.

House impeachment managers referred several times to tweets Trump made during the deadly riot on the Capitol building and used them as a reference to what the former president was thinking during the riot.

One particular tweet they spoke of several times, was from 6:01 p.m. ET on Jan. 6. — near the end of the deadly riot on the Capitol building — when Trump continued to insist that the election had been stolen and referred to his supporters as “great patriots” that had been “badly and unfairly treated for so long.” 

Twitter later suspended Trump’s account. The text of the tweet is here:

“These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!”

“The Senate must hear this case,” says Congressman Neguse

Tuesday, Feb. 9, noon

Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., one of the House impeachment managers, followed Rep. Jamie Raskin and cited the 1876 impeachment and trial of former war secretary William Belknap for corruption. Belknap resigned moments before the House was prepared to impeach him, but the House unanimously voted to impeach Belknap anyway.

And the Senate held a trial. Although a majority of senators voted that Belknap was guilty, a two-thirds majority to convict wasn’t reached on any of the five articles of impeachment. 

• “The Senate must hear this case,” Neguse said of Trump’s second impeachment trial, citing the constitution and precedent in American history.

Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution states:

• “Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.”

Raskin argues constitutionality of impeachment

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 11:45 a.m.

Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin explained that it is the House’s constitutional responsibility to impeach and the Senate’s role is to try “all” impeachments. The congressman cited Article I, Sections 2 and 3 of the U.S. Constitution:

• “The House of Representatives shall chuse(sic) their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.”
• “The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.”

Raskin cited Alexander Hamilton, John Quincy Adams and the Founding Fathers in general in his discussion on what impeachment means.

• “President Trump may not know a lot about the framers. But they certainly knew a lot about him.”

The trial begins with Jan. 6 timeline video

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 11:40 a.m.

The House impeachment managers opened up the impeachment trial of Trump with a timeline video that showed the events of Jan. 6.

• The video showed the events of the day, beginning with a rally from President Trump, followed by pro-Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol. It was interwoven with video messages and tweets from President Trump, who spoke to his supports that day.
• The video was reportedly labeled with “explicit content” and did not bleep out or remove mature language nor violence.
• “If that’s not an impeachable offense, there is no such thing,” said Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, one of the impeachment managers, after the video.

Senate approves rules for trial

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 11:26 a.m.

The Senate voted 89-11 to adopt the agreement between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to set the rules of the Trump impeachment trial.

The senators who voted against the rules include:

• Texas Sen. Ted Cruz
• Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley
• Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson
• Utah Sen. Mike Lee
• Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul
• Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall
• Florida Sen. Marco Rubio
• Florida Sen. Rick Scott
• South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott
• Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville
• Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty

Impeachment 2.0 begins

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 11:19 a.m.

House impeachment managers walked into the Senate chamber on Tuesday morning, kicking off the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.

After a bipartisan vote to agree to the rules, the impeachment trial began at 11:15 a.m. with four hours on a debate on the constitutionality of the trial.

• This is the first time a president has faced two impeachment trials.
• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called this the “gravest charge” — incitement of insurrection — ever brought against an American president.

Will Trump be subpoenaed to testify at his impeachment trial?

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 10:53 a.m.

If House impeachment managers and former President Donald Trump’s defense team plan to keep the trial short, a way to do that would be not to call witnesses. Trump has been impeached for “inciting an insurrection” and his comments in the months and moments leading up to the deadly Capitol riot on Jan. 6 have been made publicly at rallies, on television and on social media. 

Trump’s defense team said the twice-impeached former president would not testify at the Senate trial, but the House impeachment manager — if approved by the Senate — could subpoena Trump.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a supporter of the former president, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Monday night that if “House (impeachment) managers want to call one witness,” the Trump’s defense team would then call a string of witnesses — mostly Democratic politicians — that have used strong language against the former Trump administration. The defense team’s argument would be that Trump’s right to free speech is not any different than the strong language of Democrats.

Democrats that Sen. Graham — who is not on Trump’s defense team— said would be called as witnesses included President Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California and “then some.” 

According to the bipartisan agreement of the impeachment trial rules, a Senate vote is needed to approve witness subpoenas, according to a copy of the agreement from The New York Times.

Second impeachment trial for former President Trump begins

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 7:30 a.m.

Former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial will begin Tuesday afternoon.

Quick details:

• The trial is set to begin at 11 a.m. MT.
• Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy, D-VT, will preside over the impeachment trial since he is the most senior member of the Senate.
• Trump faces one charge of “incitement of insurrection” for the U.S. Capitol riots that took place on Jan. 6.

Per The New York Times, the second impeachment trial is likely to end in acquittal since 45 Republicans voted to dismiss the trial back in January. In total, 17 Republicans would need to join the Democrats to convict Trump.

How it works:

House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team will debate whether or not the trial is constitutional on Tuesday, according to NBC News. The Senate will then vote on that question.

• Then, there will be 16 hours of debate over the next two days for the House to make its argument, according to The New York Times. Trump’s defense will receive their own 16 hours over two days to defend the former president.
• There will be no witnesses in the trial. “The oral arguments will continue at least through Friday, but could extend into next week,” according to The New York Times.

Trump lawyers to lay out defense plan Monday

Monday, Feb. 8, 9:15 a.m.

Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers issued Trump’s first impeachment defense on Monday, according to The New York Times. Trump’s lawyers argue that the U.S. Senate should move quickly to dismiss the impeachment charges as unconstitutional.

The arguments from Trump’s lawyers — Bruce L. Castor Jr. and David I. Schoen — came in a pretrial brief. Trump’s full impeachment trial begins on Tuesday.

Still, everyone is unsure what the rules will be for the trial.

• “The precise rules and duration of the trial remained unsettled as senators continued to haggle over whether to allow live witness testimony and how much time to grant the prosecution and defense,” according to The New York Times. “Still, there appeared to be an overwhelming bipartisan interest in quickly reaching a verdict, possibly as soon as this weekend.”

House impeachment managers file argument for Trump impeachment

Tuesday, Feb. 2, 9:30 a.m.

The House impeachment members filed a new argument about President Donald Trump, saying he should be convicted for inciting insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January, CNN reports.

• The new filing said Trump’s actions “threatened the constitutional system that protects the fundamental freedoms we cherish.”

The new legal brief filed Tuesday accused Trump of plotting violence against conference in order to ruin a peaceful transfer of power.

• “President Trump’s responsibility for the events of January 6 is unmistakable,” the House impeachment team wrote. “President Trump’s effort to extend his grip on power by fomenting violence against Congress was a profound violation of the oath he swore. If provoking an insurrectionary riot against a Joint Session of Congress after losing an election is not an impeachable offense, it is hard to imagine what would be.”

Senate to be sworn in for Trump impeachment trial

Tuesday, Jan. 26, 5:52 a.m.

Senators will be formally sworn in as jurors on Tuesday for former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial, CNN reports. However, the trial won’t begin until Feb. 8.

The trial was delayed after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reached a deal to push back proceedings in order to allow the Senate to work on other issues first, according to CNN.

• “That move will give Democrats more time to confirm Biden’s Cabinet and potentially take up a new COVID-19 relief bill while Trump’s defense team will have more time to prepare for trial,” CNN reports.

Sources told CNN that Sen. Patrick Leahy, the president pro tempore of the Senate, will likely preside over the swearing-in ceremonies.

House transmits article of impeachment against Trump

Monday, Jan. 25, 5 p.m.

The House impeachment managers delivered the article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump to the Senate on Monday, kicking off the historical trial, NPR reports.

• The move comes a little over one year since the House delivered an article of impeachment against Trump in his first trial.

Handing over the article of impeachment kicks off proceedings, which will include senators being sworn in on Tuesday, NPR reports. The trial itself will begin on Feb. 9.

• The House impeachment managers and Trump’s legal team will have two weeks now to prepare for the trial.

House will send article of impeachment to Senate

Monday, Jan. 25, 10:27 a.m.

The House of Representatives will send the article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump to the Senate on Monday, even though the trial has been delayed for two weeks, CNN reports.

The House is expected to deliver the impeachment article at 7 p.m. EST, NPR reports.

• “The House’s transmission of the single impeachment article is the first of several ceremonial functions of the trial that will be completed this week, before the Senate will turn back to confirming President Joe Biden’s Cabinet and potentially taking up the President’s COVID-19 relief package,” according to CNN.

Trump’s legal team and the House managers will spend the next two weeks engaging in pre-trial briefs after the article is sent into the Senate, according to CNN.

The impeachment trial will begin on Feb. 9, according to NPR.

President Trump issues video condemning violence

Wednesday, Jan. 13, 5:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump released a new statement in a video posted to the White House’s YouTube page.

Trump condemned any violence in his new video. He did not mention the second impeachment, though.

• “I want to make it very clear: I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week,” Trump said in the video.
• He said “no true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence.”
• “We cannot tolerate it,” he said.

President Trump impeached for the second time

Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2:48 p.m.

President Donald Trump was impeached by the US House for incitement of insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He is the first U.S. president to be impeached twice.

• The House voted 232-197 with all Democrats supporting the measure and 10 Republicans supporting impeachment.
• The decision now heads over to the Senate. It’s not expected to happen until at least Jan. 19. However, all indications lean toward the trial happening after President Trump leaves office.
• President Trump was already impeached in December 2019. (He was later acquitted by the Senate).

McConnell says he won’t convene the Senate early for impeachment

Wednesday, Jan. 13, 12:25 p.m.

Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell said he will not consent to reconvening the Senate on Friday, which would delay any impeachment trial of President Donald Trump until Jan. 19 at the earliest, Axios reports.

• The trial would then unlikely occur until after President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
• “Even if we started a trial yesterday, there’s not enough time to remove him from office,” a McConnell official told Axios.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that McConnell supported the idea of impeachment, hoping it would move Trump away from the Republican party. McConnell did not deny the report.

Republicans continue to split on Trump impeachment

Wednesday, Jan. 13, 12:20 p.m.

Rep. Dan Newhouse (Wash.) said Wednesday that he plans to vote for Trump’s impeachment, The Washington Post reports.

Newhouse said on the House floor that he believes the article of impeachment “flawed, but I will not use process as an excuse.”

• “There is no excuse for President Trump’s actions. … The president took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Last week, there was a domestic threat at the door of the Capitol, and he did nothing to stop it. That is why, with a heavy heart and a clear resolve, I will vote yes on these articles of impeachment,” he said, per The Washington Post.

In the House, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Cali., personally opposes the House’s move to impeach the president, but “he and other party leaders have decided not to formally lobby Republicans to vote “no” — against impeachment, reported The New York Times.

“Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough,” said Rep. Liz Cheney in a statement, according to USA Today. “The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President.”

• The Wyoming congresswoman said she would vote to impeach Trump and that “there has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”

Trump issues statement calling for peace

Wednesday, Jan. 13, 12:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump issued the following statement about the transition of power at the White House as the House debates whether or not to impeach him for a second time.

• “In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You.”

Opening statements on President Trump impeachment

Wednesday, Jan. 13, 8:46 a.m.

Members of the House delivered speeches Wednesday morning, making their case for and against the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Representatives are believed to later vote along party lines. Here are some of the arguments made throughout the morning.

• Texas Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett: “America, we did stop the steal. We stopped Donald Trump from stealing our democracy and imposing himself as a tyrant.”
• Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar: “For years we have been asked to turn a blind eye to the criminality, corruption, and blatant disregard to the rule of law by the tyrant president we have in the White House. We as a nation can no longer look away.”
• South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace: “I believe we need to hold the president accountable. I hold him accountable for the events that transpired ... I also believe we need to hold accountable every single person, even members of Congress, if they contributed to the violence that transpired here.”
• Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern: “We are debating this historic measure at an actual crime scene and we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for POTUS ... the signal [of Trump’s speech last Wednesday] was unmistakable: these thugs should stage a coup so Donald Trump could hang on to power.”
• California Democratic Rep. Judy Chu: “Last week, I hid in an office for hours, terrified to open the door because I did not know if a rioter was on the other side ready to attack, kidnap, or murder me ... they were radicalized by the president ... Donald Trump must be held accountable.”

Impeachment debate begins

Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021

House will move swiftly to impeachment on Wednesday.

The House began meeting 9 a.m. ET to discuss the impeachment, debating the rule that there will be two hours to discuss the impeachment. After the debate, the House will vote on it (and possibly another procedural vote). The House will debate on the resolution. Republicans and Democrats will each receive two hours’ time.

House approves resolution urging Mike Pence to help oust President Trump; impeachment next

Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021

The House on Tuesday night approved a resolution urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to remove Trump with a Cabinet vote and “declare what is obvious to a horrified Nation: That the President is unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office.” The resolution passed, It was approved 223-205.

• He said that it would not be in the best interest of the nation or consistent with the Constitution and that it was “time to unite our country as we prepare to inaugurate President-elect Joe Biden.”

Meanwhile, three Republican lawmakers, including third-ranking House GOP leader Liz Cheney of Wyoming, announced they would vote to impeach Trump on Wednesday, cleaving the party’s leadership.

• “The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” said Cheney in a statement. “There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”
• Reps. John Katko of New York, a former federal prosecutor, and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, an Air Force veteran, said they, too, would vote to impeach.

With Pence’s agreement to invoke the 25th Amendment ruled out, the House will move swiftly to impeachment on Wednesday. Trump faces a single charge — “incitement of insurrection” — in the impeachment resolution after the most serious and deadly domestic incursion at the Capitol in the nation’s history.

• Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, argued that Trump must go because, as she said in Spanish, he’s “loco” - crazy.
• Republican Reps. John Katko of New York, a former federal prosecutor, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, an Air Force veteran, and Fred Upton of Michigan announced they, too, would vote to impeach.
• But Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said the “cancel culture” was just trying to cancel the president. He said the Democrats had been trying to reverse the 2016 election ever since Trump took office and were finishing his term the same way.

Though a handful of House Republicans will join the impeachment vote — and leaders are allowing them to vote as they wish — it’s far from clear there would then be the two-thirds vote needed to convict from the narrowly divided Senate. Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania did join Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska over the weekend in calling for Trump to “go away as soon as possible.”

Article of impeachment introduced; House blocks resolution on 25th Amendment

Monday, Jan. 11, 2021

Republicans on Monday blocked the House resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office, according to the Associated Press.

• Democrats in the House pushed for Pence and the Cabinet to oust Trump from office, saying he is unfit for office after the U.S. Capitol riots.

The four-page impeachment bill is from Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Ted Lieu of California, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Jerrold Nadler of New York. It draws from:

• Trump’s own statements about his election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.
• His pressure on state officials in Georgia to “find” him more votes.
• His White House rally ahead of the Capitol siege, in which he encouraged thousands of supporters to “fight like hell” before they stormed the building on Wednesday.
• “President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,” the legislation said.
• The legislation also says that Trump also threatened “the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power” and “betrayed” trust.

Trump supporters overpowered police, broke through security lines and windows and rampaged through the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to scatter as they were finalizing Biden’s victory over Trump in the Electoral College.

• “He will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office,” they wrote.

Reaction

• Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Ca., said Monday on CBS, “We need to move forward with alacrity.”

Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., joined Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska over the weekend in calling for Trump to “resign and go away as soon as possible.”

• “I think the president has disqualified himself from ever, certainly, serving in office again,” Toomey said. “I don’t think he is electable in any way.”
• Murkowski, long exasperated with the president, told the Anchorage Daily News on Friday that Trump simply “needs to get out.” A third, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., did not go that far, but on Sunday warned Trump to be “very careful” in his final days in office.

• “During an interview on “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invoked the Watergate era when Republicans in the Senate told President Richard Nixon, “It’s over.”
• “That’s what has to happen now,” she said.

• Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said that instead of coming together, Democrats want to “talk about ridiculous things like ‘Let’s impeach a president’” with just days left in office.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.