A Guide to Trump's Impeachment
by Ellie Polyak
On Wednesday, December 18 President Trump became just the third U.S. president to ever be impeached. The scandal that led us here, President Trump’s pressuring of Ukraine to investigate his political rival Joe Biden, is far less confusing than Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, it can be hard to keep track of the constant drip of information. Here is a compiled list and guide of everything to know about Donald Trump’s impeachment. We’ll continue updating this piece as the action moves to the Senate, where Trump will be tried and almost certainly acquitted by the GOP majority.
What You Need To Know About Trump’s Impeachment:
The (Full) Case for Impeaching President Trump
Jonathan Chait on the full menu of Trump’s potentially impeachable misconduct.
The Impeachment Process Explained: What Happens to Trump Now
Ed Kilgore answers all your questions on what’s likely to happen in the next few months, from what constitutes an impeachable offense to how long impeachment hearings typically last.
How the Potential Senate Impeachment Trial Will Work
Everything we know on what a McConnell-helmed trial may look like.
What Republican Insiders Really Think About Impeachment
Olivia Nuzzi reports that many Republicans are as tired of Trump’s antics as anyone.
What Will Republicans Do If Trump Goes Down?
Ed Kilgore on whom the GOP might turn to in the event that Trump (and maybe even Pence) is removed from office.
Democrats Should Stop Making ‘Ukrainegate’ About Ukraine
The problem with Trump’s actions isn’t that they threatened Ukrainian self-determination, but that they threaten our own.
Schumer and McConnell Play Chess Over Impeachment Trial Rules
Both parties want witnesses the other side opposes. Despite the posturing, a short trial with no testimony from John Bolton or the Bidens is likely.
Trump’s Impeachment Schedule
House impeachment investigators conducted closed-door depositions with multiple figures involved in the Ukraine scandal this fall. On November 13, the House Intelligence Committee began conducting public hearings with key witnesses. Hearings moved to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, December 4, with four constitutional scholars offering testimony on what constitutes “high crimes and misdemeanors.” White House lawyers declined to participate.
Fears
Why Democrats' Attempts to Rein in Trump With Impeachment Could Make His Presidency Stronger
“I think it absolutely makes him stronger,” a senior aide to Trump told TIME. The team has tried to play the hand as best they can, fundraising for his campaign, rallying support, and working to leverage House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desire to show Democrats can run impeachment while at the same time get bills to Trump’s desk. And Trump, they say, is coming around to the idea. “It’s almost like the President when he’s under pressure is calmer,” says a second White House official.
Trump didn’t come off as particularly calm in a scathing letter he sent to Pelosi on Dec. 17, accusing her of “violating your oaths of office” and “declaring open war” on American democracy. “Your spiteful actions display unfettered contempt for America’s founding and your egregious conduct threatens to destroy that which our Founders pledged their very lives to build,” Trump wrote.