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House debate begins ahead of impeachment vote tonight
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Trump says impeachment probe had “less due process than the Salem Witch Trials”
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How a fateful July phone call led to Donald Trump’s impeachment within six months
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Polls show increase in support for Trump’s impeachment
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The US impeachment process explained
Donald Trump is set to become just the third president in US history to be impeached, with a historic debate due to begin in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The 435-member chamber will debate two articles of impeachment against Mr Trump, which charge him with abusing power and obstructing Congress.
Since the Democrats hold the majority in the House, Mr Trump is all but certain to be impeached.
Ahead of the historic vote, the president tweeted: “Can you believe that I will be impeached today by the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats, AND I DID NOTHING WRONG! A terrible Thing. Read the Transcripts. This should never happen to another President again. Say a PRAYER!”
In a furious letter to the Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the president denounced the “vicious crusade” against him, but acknowledged he was powerless to stop the expected outcome.
“When people look back at this affair, I want them to understand it, and learn for it, so that it can never happen to another president again,” he wrote.
Ms Pelosi, who warned earlier this year against pursuing a strictly partisan impeachment, nonetheless has the numbers from Democrats to approve it.
“Very sadly, the facts have made clear that the President abused his power for his own personal, political benefit and that he obstructed Congress,” Ms Pelosi told her party colleagues.
Representatives in the House are expected to vote along party lines, with one Democrat reportedly preparing to switch to the Republican Party to vote against impeachment.
The rare undertaking to impeach a president, set to unfold over more than six hours of debate Wednesday, is splitting the lawmakers in Congress much the way Americans have been divided over the issue.
From Alaska to Florida, tens of thousands of Americans marched in support of impeachment Tuesday evening, from a demonstration through a rainy Times Square to handfuls of activists standing vigil in small towns. They carried signs saying “Save the Constitution – Impeach!!!!” and “Criminal-in-Chief.”
“I really believe that the Constitution is under assault,” said one protester, 62-year-old Glenn Conway, of Holly Springs, North Carolina, attending his first political rally in 30 years. “I think we have a president at this point who believes he’s above the law.”
At the heart of the issue is a claim that Mr Trump held back aid to Ukraine in a bid to pressure the country to investigate his political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Mr Biden, the former US vice president, is currently the Democratic front-runner in the race to challenge Mr Trump for the White House in 2020.
The trigger for the impeachment investigation was a phone call between Mr Trump and the newly-elected president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Concerns about the phone call were first revealed after a whistleblower filed a complaint accusing the president of abusing his power in order to interfere in the 2020 election.
The whistleblower, a CIA officer previously assigned to the White House, said several officials had raised concerns about Mr Trump’s conversation with Mr Zelenskiy. In response, the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced in late September that the chamber would open a formal impeachment proceeding to investigate the claims.
A day after the impeachment investigation began, the White House released a redacted version of the phone call which revealed that Mr Trump had indeed urged Mr Zelenskiy to do him a “favour” and investigate the Bidens.
Overshadowing the request was the fact that it came days after Mr Trump held back almost $400 million in military aid that Congress had approved for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia. Mr Trump has insisted he did nothing wrong in calling for the investigation, saying there was no “quid pro quo” in his dealings with Ukraine.
However Democrats have said Mr Trump’s actions amount to an attempt to improperly interfere in the 2020 presidential election.
The House impeachment resolution says that Trump abused the power of his office and then tried to obstruct the investigation in Congress like “no other” president in history.
Mr Trump “betrayed the Nation by abusing his high office to enlist a foreign power in corrupting democratic elections,” it states. “President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.”
Only two other presidents have been impeached. Andrew Johnson, who took over the presidency after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, was impeached in 1868 after being seen as too sympathetic to the defeated Confederacy.
Bill Clinton was impeached after lying under oath about his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky in 1998.
Richard Nixon, who faced an impeachment push, resigned before a vote was held.
3:58PM
How did we get here?
The Telegraph’s US editor, Ben Riley-Smith, has a thorough rundown of how a fateful July phone call led us to today’s impeachment vote.
It began the day after Robert Mueller flopped. Dressed in a sober suit, the US special counsel investigating Russian election meddling finally broke his silence on July 24.
Appearing before a congressional committee, Mr Mueller walked congressmen and the public through the most damning findings in his report, answering questions about his investigation for the first time.
Democrats hoped the moment would be the movie version of the Mueller Report, a chance for his stark conclusions – not least the litany of episodes uncovered of Mr Trump’s alleged obstruction of justice – to be hammered home for a television audience.
They were wrong. Mr Mueller’s performance defied his image as a ruthless Vietnam veteran pursuing the president. The ex-FBI director spoke quietly. He avoided hyperbole. He appeared confused by some questions.
Now, with the report published, no more criminal indictments coming and Mr Mueller announcing he was returning to private life, the clouds were parting. “I thought we won,” Mr Trump would later say of the spectre of impeachment triggered by the Mueller probe. “I thought it was dead.”
Read the piece in full
3:29PM
Nancy Pelosi arrives
Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, has arrived for today’s debate. Like many Democrat female members, she is wearing black in a nod to the somber occasion. Ms Pelosi has reportedly instructed her party not to appear to be celebrating the day’s events, she wants the impeachment to be seen as a step Democrats have taken reluctantly.
3:16PM
How will members vote?
A number of moderate Democrats, including many first-term congressmen who built the House majority and could risk their re-election in districts where the president is popular, have said they will vote to impeach.
Many drew on the Constitution and the intent of the country’s founders as they considered the role of Congress to conduct oversight in the nation’s system of checks and balances.
Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer, from Iowa, referred to the oath she took in January as she was sworn into office as guiding her decision. She announced support for both articles of impeachment to “honour my duty to defend our Constitution and democracy from abuse of power at the highest levels.”
However another freshman Democrat, Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, is indicating he will switch parties to become a Republican after opposing impeachment.
It follows Michigan conservative Justin Amash leaving the Republicans earlier this year when he favoured impeachment.
One new Democrat congressman, Jared Golden of Maine, said he would vote to impeach on abuse of power but not obstruction.
2:29PM
Debate begins with a prayer
Ben Riley-Smith, our US Editor watching on in the House’s press gallery, has this from the opening minutes of the debate.
A historic day in the House of Representatives has begun with a prayer.
Shortly after the gavel was banged at 9am, the few dozen congressmen present for the very start of the debate stood solemnly and bowed their heads.
God was asked to impart “wisdom” on the politicians who would consider an issue with “far reaching” consequences – a reference to the impeachment of Donald J Trump.
“Help them and help us all to put away any judgements that belong to you and do what we can to live together in harmony”, read one line.
Then those present placed their right hand on their heart and, facing the front of the chamber, read out the pledge of allegiance to America.
2:29PM
Today’s rundown
First thing this morning, the House is expected to vote to adopt the rules for the debate laid out by the Rules Committee last night.
According to the rules passed by the committee, members will have six hours to debate the impeachment resolution, with the time split evenly between Republicans and Democrats.
Next expect plenty of procedural motions to be put forward by the Republicans in a bid to stall the vote and express their displeasure.
The main vote on the two articles of impeachment are expected this evening, most likely between 6.30pm and 7.30pm eastern time, between 11.30pm and 12.30 in the UK. A separate vote will be held on each of the two articles.
Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, may also select members to act as impeachment managers who will act like prosecutors in the trial to follow in the Senate.
Meanwhile tonight Mr Trump is holding a campaign rally in Michigan, which means he could potentially be on stage when he becomes only the third president in US history to be impeached.
2:16PM
White House says Trump will not be watching
The president’s aides have said he will not be watching today’s debate, but will be kept up to date with the proceedings. However, Mr Trump has already begun sharing his take on twitter:
2:12PM
Historic day begins in Washington
Good morning from the US capital, where the House has just convened for today’s impeachment proceedings.
Republicans in the chamber are expected to kick off the day by introducing a number of procedural motions as a delay tactic.
However the vote is still expected to be held this evening.
On his way into the chamber, Steny Hoyer, the Democrat majority leader in the House, told CNN: “I think it will be six hours of debate, but I think we’ll get the work done by the end of the day”.