Here’s the Latest on the Trump Impeachment Inquiry
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Last month, public hearings in the Trump impeachment began. Current and former members of the Trump administration, including European ambassadors and special advisers, gave open testimonies that drastically altered the course of the inquiry. Despite all the commotion, though, President Trump remains in office, leading many people to ask, How is something so dominant in the news not yet resulting in any action? That action, though, might come soon. To see where things stand now and what might be next, find all the latest on the Trump impeachment inquiry below.
The case against Trump is being laid out
Later today, congressional investigators will detail their findings and how their discoveries could qualify President Trump for impeachment. Initial investigations have turned up so much information that the House Judiciary Committee spent all weekend combing through evidence and preparing today’s make-or-break hearing. And as the inquiry against Trump intensifies, his allies in Congress are ramping up their defenses.
Republicans are getting more vicious
Throughout the impeachment inquiry, Republican politicians in both chambers of Congress have backed President Trump, the leader of their party. Gearing up for today’s hearing, Republicans haven’t slowed their defenses (including President Trump himself). Even former Trump rivals and naysayers have come to the President’s aid, with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) espousing a thoroughly debunked claim that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election. Trump’s relationship with Ukraine lies at the heart of the ongoing impeachment inquiry.
The House vote is coming up
Even if Republicans put forth their strongest defenses, today’s hearing will likely end with articles of impeachment being sent to the House of Representatives for a vote. These articles essentially detail all the charges being leveled against Trump. Potential charges could include obstruction of justice for Trump’s ongoing bar on his colleagues testifying in the inquiry, conspiring with a foreign country to interfere in U.S. elections, and more. House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-NY, has said that he feels very confident in the case against Trump.
The articles of impeachment remain in the works
A vote to send articles of impeachment to the House floor for a vote doesn’t mean that these articles are complete. Currently, the articles are coming together in private Democratic settings, and later this week, the process is expected to open to the public for the first time. Nadler nevertheless insisted on Sunday that these articles will arrive by the end of the week, though their exact contents – potentially including information from the infamous Mueller report – remain up for debate.
This debate stems not from Trump’s supporters, but from within the Democratic party. Nadler has told reporters that the Democrats drafting the articles of impeachment will prioritize whatever information is necessary to support their case, even if that risks alienating 2020 election swing voters with mentions of Russian interference. However, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) implied that the Mueller report may not prove as central to the articles of impeachment as many people have predicted.
How do you expect the Trump impeachment inquiry to proceed? Sound off in the comments!