Trump impeachment trial: Live updates from the Senate | CNN Politics

Impeachment trial of President Trump

adam schiff friday night
3 days. 24 hours. Hear the case against President Trump
04:15 - Source: CNN

Where things stand

  • What happened: Democratic House managers have wrapped up their opening arguments. It was their final chance to make an uninterrupted pitch to senators.
  • Tomorrow: The trial resumes at 10 a.m. ET. President Trump’s legal team will begin their opening arguments.

Our live coverage has ended, but you can scroll through the posts to read more.

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The impeachment trial has ended for the day. Here's what happened.

The Democratic House managers have concluded the final day of their opening statements in the impeachment trial of President Trump.

The President’s defense team is expected to take the podium at 10 a.m. ET tomorrow to deliver their opening remarks.

In case you missed it, here’s what happened today:

  • Democrats wrap up arguments: Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado opened the day by continuing to try to get ahead of arguments likely to come from the President’s legal team when they begin their presentation tomorrow, pushing back on expected defense about the withholding of US security aid. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries claimed in his remarks that the President worked hard to hide his misconduct. “The President tried to cheat. He got caught, and then he worked hard to cover it up,” he said. 
  • Republican senators derided the arguments as repetitive: GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said today that the House impeachment managers have been “very professional, very respectful” in presenting their case, despite a couple of “dust-ups” at the beginning of the trial. But he criticized Democrats for being repetitive, saying the managers are “over-trying their case.”
  • Shorter session tomorrow: The President’s lawyers will begin their arguments, and the Senate is starting earlier at 10 a.m. ET. The President’s attorney Jay Sekulow previewed what tomorrow’s arguments would look like, saying, “I guess we would call it a trailer, and a coming attractions would be the best way to say it. And obviously, three hours to put it out, so we will take whatever time is appropriate in the three hours to lay out how the case is going to look like and next week is the full presentation.”
  • Trump is not happy about the session: The President complained about the start date on Twitter this morning, saying, “looks like my lawyers will be forced to start on Saturday, which is called Death Valley in T.V.” Graham, a Trump ally, said he spoke to the President recently and Trump told him he’s “bored” by the proceedings.
  • Democratic leader urges senators to support witness vote: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asked his Republican colleagues to join Democrats in voting for witnesses and documents at the Senate trial. At least 51 senators must vote in order to subpoena documents and witnesses. If all 47 senators who caucus with the Democrats vote for the motion, at least four Republican senators would need to join them in order to pass it.

The Democrats wrap up their opening arguments

The Democratic House managers’ remarks have concluded.

The trial is now adjourned until 10 a.m. tomorrow.

Schiff makes a final plea for witnesses: "Give America a fair trial"

Rep. Adam Schiff urged senators not to rush the impeachment trial of President Trump and to consider allowing witnesses.

“This is no parking ticket we are contesting, no shoplifting case we are prosecuting. It is a matter of high crimes and misdemeanors,” he said.

Schiff continued: “How long is too long to have a fair trial? Fair to the President and fair to the American people. The American people do not agree on much but they will not forgive being deprived of the truth and certainly not because it took a backseat to expediency.”

The California Democrat closed his argument with a final plea to senators:

Watch more:

Schiff lays out what he expects to hear from Trump's defense team

House manager Adam Schiff laid out several arguments he expects to hear from President Trump’s attorneys in the coming days.

The California Democrat said he anticipates Trump’s attorneys will argue that Trump’s July 25 call with Ukraine’s president was “perfect” — a line that the President has frequently repeated.

Schiff went on to say that he suspects they don’t want to make that argument, but have to because Trump will want to hear it.

Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said the Senate would likely hear Trump’s attorneys bring up that the President said there was no quid pro quo. 

“The President said there was no quid pro quo. That’s the end of the story. This is the criminal law that if the defendant says he didn’t do it, he couldn’t have done it. If the defendant learns he’s been caught and he says he didn’t do it, he couldn’t have done it. That doesn’t hold up in any court in the land. It shouldn’t hold up here,” he said.

Watch more:

Schiff says he expects Trump's attorneys will "attack" his team

Rep. Adam Schiff said that he anticipates that President Trump’s attorneys will “attack the managers” during their opening arguments.

He said he expects they’ll claim, “Those managers are just awful. They’re terrible people. Especially that Schiff guy. He’s the worst. He’s the worst.”

Schiff argued that this is meant to distract from Trump’s misconduct.

Watch more:

Schiff: The country "will get beyond this ugly chapter of our history"

In his closing remarks, Democratic House manager Adam Schiff said that he believes the United States “will get beyond this ugly chapter of our history” but allowing President Trump to claim that the Constitution says “he can do whatever he wants” will be an “unending injury to our country.”

Here’s his remarks:

Watch:

Schiff will finish the arguments for the Democrats

Rep. Adam Schiff took to the podium and told the chamber that “this is the last presentation of the evening.” 

He began: “First point I would like to make is that I’m tired, I don’t know about you but I am exhausted. And I can only imagine how you feel.”

Sekulow gives a preview of the defense team's arguments

Ahead of the final few hours of the House managers’ presentation, President Trump’s lawyer Jay Sekulow offered his assessment of the case: “Really, trying to remove the President from the ballot in 2020… they don’t trust the American people to make a decision.”

Sekulow noted that House managers “kicked the door down” on Burisma and the Bidens, and that they will be responding. “They spent hours on it,” he said.

He suggested his team will bring up Christopher Steele’s dossier during their presentation.

“How do you not bring up the Steele dossier? They talked about all the foreign interference as if this is — I’m going to bring a couple of things tomorrow … I’m gonna tell you something. Look for things. Look for things like the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court. You want to talk about foreign interference? See what the FISA court had to say about that in the last couple of weeks,” he said.

Democrats have about 4 hours left to make their case, but will only take 2, aide says

The Democratic House managers have about four hours left on the clock but only are expected to take about two hours, an aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.

An aide to Rep. Adam Schiff would not confirm that but did say that Schiff will speak when the end is near. 

The aide doesn’t know how long the speech will be, because Schiff is at the table on the Senate floor still writing it out in longhand.

Republican Sen. Roy Blunt also said he expects there to be about two hours more. 

The trial has resumed

The senators are back from their dinner break. The House managers are continuing their opening arguments.

Here's what Trump said about the tape of him demanding the firing of Yovanovitch

Former US Ambassador to the Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch

Fox News just aired a clip of President Trump’s interview, which is set to air in the 10 p.m. hour tonight.

Trump doesn’t deny the ABC recording report, and reiterates that he is “not a fan” of former Ambassador to the Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.

Asked specifically if he was telling Lev Parnas to dismiss Yovanovitch, Trump said, “Well I wouldn’t have been saying that. I probably would have said if it was Rudy there or somebody, but I make no bones about it, I won’t have ambassadors — I have every right, I want ambassadors that are chosen by me, I have a right to hire and fire ambassadors.”

More context: Trump was captured on tape at a 2018 dinner with Parnas and another indicted Giuliani associated, Igor Fruman, demanding the firing of Yovanovitch, who was then the US ambassador to Ukraine, according to Bondy.

“Get rid of her!” a voice appearing to belong to Trump says on the recording, according to ABC News, which on Friday first reported its existence.

“Get her out tomorrow. I don’t care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. OK? Do it.”

CNN has not reviewed the tape.

Why House managers keep pushing for additional witnesses and documents

Former federal prosecutor Anne Milgram took questions from viewers today on Anderson Cooper Full Circle.

One of the questions posed was about the Democrats’ repeated request for additional witness testimony and documents.

Milgram said that while House managers have described a lot of the evidence they already have in their opening remarks this week, “there are critical witnesses that are really in the Trump inner circle that provide a lot of information that I think the American people probably want to know, that the House managers clearly want to know, that have been withheld.”

She went on to break down their argument:

Lev Parnas's attorney turned over Trump tape about Yovanovitch to the House Intelligence Committee

Attorney Joseph Bondy, left, and Lev Parnas depart federal court December 2, 2019 in New York City.

Joseph Bondy, attorney for indicted Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, said he turned over audio of President Trump talking about former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch to the House Intelligence Committee, confirming a report in the New York Times.

Bondy said he had Parnas go back through his “cloud” and Parnas found the audio.

What’s this about: Trump was captured on tape at a 2018 dinner with Parnas and another indicted Giuliani associated, Igor Fruman, demanding the firing of Yovanovitch, who was then the US ambassador to Ukraine, according to Bondy.

“Get rid of her!” a voice appearing to belong to Trump says on the recording, according to ABC News, which on Friday first reported its existence.

“Get her out tomorrow. I don’t care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. OK? Do it.”

CNN has not reviewed the tape.

Senators take a 30-minute break

The Senate trial is on a 30-minute break for dinner.

House impeachment managers will resume their remarks after the break.

Jeffries: Trump impeachment investigation "largely tracks" with Nixon

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said during remarks this afternoon that the “sequence of events” in the Trump impeachment “largely track those in the Nixon proceedings.” 

He summarized the Nixon inquiry like this:

Jeffries argued that the course of events in the Trump inquiry is “entirely consistent with the Richard Nixon precedent.”

In addressing how Trump has repeatedly criticized the process of the impeachment, Jeffries said that the President “is a suspect, a suspect who may have committed a high crime or misdemeanor.” 

House manager Jerry Nadler calls Trump "a dictator"

House manager Jerry Nadler closed out his remarks this afternoon with some of the most fiery language that’s been heard so far directed at President Trump, calling him “a dictator.”

The New York Democrat said Trump is the “first and only president ever to declare himself unaccountable and to ignore subpoenas backed by the Constitution’s impeachment power.” 

He continued: “If he is not removed from office, if he is permitted to defy the Congress entirely, categorically, to say the subpoenas from Congress in the impeachment inquiry are nonsense, then we will have lost, the House will have lost, the Senate certainly will have lost, all power to hold any president accountable.” 

Nadler said Trump “wants to be all powerful. He does not have to respect the Congress. He does not have to rescue the representatives of the people. Only his will goes.” 

Watch the moment:

Trump allies showed up at the trial this afternoon

Rep. Mike Johnson, left, and Rep. Mark Meadows confer before speaking to reporters during a break in the impeachment trial on Friday, January 24.

Republican Reps. Mark Meadows, Lee Zeldin and Mike Johnson — all staunch defenders of President Trump —slipped in around 4:45 p.m. ET to watch the impeachment trial.

About today’s proceedings: Democratic House managers are wrapping up their opening statements.

Anderson Cooper will be live here soon. What are your impeachment questions?

Former federal prosecutor Anne Milgram is joining Anderson Cooper to answer your impeachment questions live at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Submit them here and tune in to get caught up on the impeachment trial. It will air at the top of your screen here.

Trump makes no mention of impeachment during mayors event

President Trump did not bring up the ongoing Senate impeachment trial during his remarks at an event hosting mayors at the White House this afternoon. 

Trump said the event, hosting a bipartisan group of mayors, was an effort “to strengthen the bonds of cooperation between federal and local governments.”

Trump went on to praise what he saw as the administration’s accomplishments. He said American communities have been “lifted up by our booming economy,” and that the US has created “the most inclusive economy anywhere in the world.”

He also talked about the administration’s work on criminal justice.

“People aren’t going back to jail at anywhere near the clip (they used to)”, he said. 

He also touted national declines in murders in US cities and declines in opioid addiction and overdose deaths.

Trump signed Securing American Nonprofit Organizations Against Terrorism Act of 2019 into law. The legislation appropriates $75 million per year, for the next five years ($375 million total), to protect our houses of worship and other nonprofits from terrorist attacks through target hardening and enhanced security measures, according to the White House.

Romney reacts to length of trial: "Oh jeez, no one's watching"

During the break, GOP Sen. Mike Braun walked by his neighbor, Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, and told him, “I think we’ve got another six hours.”

Romney looked genuinely surprised and overwhelmed. “Oh jeez,” he said, shaking his head. “No one’s watching!”

A few seconds later, GOP Sen. Tim Scott walked by and said something to Romney, who responded, “I’m dying, I’m dying!” He then opened up a bag of what looked like peanuts, then walked over to talk to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The session was back in order a little after 4 p.m. ET. There were quite a few tardy senators on both sides, but once most people got back in their seats, most looked fairly attentive.

READ MORE

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Impeachment managers dissect abuse of power charge in making case against Trump

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The Senate controls the pictures at the impeachment trial – here’s why and what it means
GOP senators call House case against Trump repetitive and nothing ‘new’
Warren on Biden’s role in impeachment trial: ‘I don’t think of this in terms of the politics’
Impeachment managers dissect abuse of power charge in making case against Trump