The latest on President Trump’s impeachment

As Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walked through the halls of the Capitol tonight, he said he was still in the dark over timing of the impeachment articles from the House.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet to formally introduce the articles to the Senate, so a trial has not yet been set.

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff told CNN that it’s up to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to decide when to send the articles to the Senate.

Schiff said he has not spoken to Pelosi this week, though he said he was in communication with her over the holiday recess.

Schiff also said he is unlikely to speak after the Iran briefing, which is happening now.

President Trump reacted for the first time to the news that his former national security adviser John Bolton is prepared to testify if issued a subpoena, telling reporters Bolton “would know nothing about what we’re talking about,” despite the fact that Bolton was his adviser at the time and has first hand knowledge of the hold on Ukrainian aid.

“Frankly, if you look at it, and you look at everything all they have to do is read the transcripts,” he said.

Trump continued to lament his impeachment and trial as well as his “perfect” phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

Some background: Bolton announced in an unexpected and newsworthy statement Monday that he is prepared to testify if issued a subpoena as part of a Senate impeachment trial. 

Bolton is potentially a crucial witness, as he had firsthand knowledge of many of the events that formed the House’s impeachment of the President over his dealings with Ukraine. The House sought his testimony but ultimately never subpoenaed Bolton, and Democrats withdrew their subpoena for his former deputy after it was challenged in court, as Democrats wanted to move forward with their impeachment probe and not wait for the court’s decision.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says that Speaker Nancy Pelosi withheld the articles of impeachment to understand the arena in which she’s working in the Senate.

He argued that holding back on the articles has served its purpose — with John Bolton’s agreement to testify if subpoenaed. 

Asked if there’s any other reason for Pelosi to hold back the articles, Schumer sidestepped the question and said it’s her decision and argued her strategy worked.    

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Republican senators in a closed-door lunch that he has the votes to move forward on his Senate trial proposal, an official in the room said.

He made clear he had no plans to move forward on a trial until the articles are sent to the Senate, as he has said publicly.

CNN reported he was planning to make this clear earlier today.

Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, who is vulnerable in 2020, indicated he is ready to begin the trial, a sign that Democrats have patience — albeit limited — over the decision to delay sending the impeachment articles to the Senate.

The Alabama Democrat said he is more concerned about the GOP refusal to allow witnesses to come forward.

He also explained why he wants to hear from John Bolton. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, walks to his office at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 7, 2020. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appears to have the votes to set the ground rules of the Senate impeachment trial without Democrats’ support, GOP senators say. 

All he needs is 51 senators, and several swing senators — including Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney — have said they back the leader’s approach. 

This is different than the Clinton trial, when the ground rules were set by a 100-0 vote. This time it will likely be approved on a party-line vote.

More on this: Democrats want a deal up front to hear from witnesses and get documents, but McConnell says those matters should be dealt with later after opening statements.

McConnell is expected to discuss the matter at a Senate GOP lunch today. They won’t act until they get the articles from the House.

Sen. Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat from West Virginia, told CNN that he hopes former White House national security adviser John Bolton’s willingness to testify in the Senate might break the impeachment impasse and “purge” the stalemate.

The House, which passed two articles of impeachment against President Trump last month, returned from its holiday recess today. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet to formally introduce them to the Senate, so a trial has not yet been set.

Manchin said perhaps Bolton’s announcement would provide Pelosi the chance to send over the impeachment articles. He has not talked to Pelosi.

Republican Sen. Mitt Romney said he backs Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s proposal to move forward with the impeachment trial and deal with witnesses later in the process.

“I’m comfortable with that,” Romney said.

He reiterated he wants witnesses to testify but said it can be dealt with later in the trial. 

Asked if he has any concerns with McConnell coordinating with the White House on the impeachment trial, Romney said, “I’m sure the leader will provide impartial justice.”

More on this: McConnell has been ready to move forward with the plan without any Democratic support. Romney’s backing makes it likely all 53 Republican senators will support that effort.

CNN has previously reported that Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, two moderate Republicans, also support McConnell’s plan. 

Two sources say McConnell and his deputies will move to lock in the whip count during a closed-door policy GOP policy lunch today in preparation for whenever the articles are transmitted to the Senate. 

At this point no final decisions have been made, but as has been clear for weeks, the impasse between McConnell and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer over witnesses appears as intractable as ever.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was seen on Capitol Hill today making her way into her office ahead of expected meetings with Democratic leadership and a briefing on Iran this afternoon.

Remember: Washington is once again awaiting Pelosi’s next chess move as she returns to Capitol Hill today. She is continuing to withhold the articles of impeachment from the Senate while attempting to place another check on President Trump to address his actions on Iran.

Former national security adviser John Bolton speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Sept. 30, 2019 in Washington, DC.

John Bolton’s announcement Monday that he would be willing to testify if the Senate subpoenaed him sent top White House aides scrambling, multiple people tell CNN. 

Several of President Trump’s top aides had been in a meeting and watched the news break via television reports. 

Aides involved in the President’s impeachment strategy then convened a meeting to decide how to handle the situation, asking each other what Bolton’s tactic could be. 

They decided against issuing a statement on the matter, and urged the President not to comment as well, though they recognize that’s not something within their control. Instead they decided to punt on the matter, arguing they shouldn’t weigh in until House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sends the articles of impeachment to the Senate. 

Officials spent the rest of the day keeping an eye on comments from the key senators who could play a critical role in deciding whether Bolton appears. 

There were multiple eye rolls, one said, when Republican Sen. Mitt Romney was the first to say Bolton should be heard from. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is not telling anyone yet about her plans to send over the articles of impeachment to the Senate — not even her closest allies, not even Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, according to multiple sources. 

Schumer told his colleagues in private that he doesn’t know what she plans to do, but assumes they could be sent over to the Senate as soon as this week, according to the sources.  

Pelosi has meetings tonight with her leadership team and then a larger group of members.

Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican from Kansas, said there is nothing to stop former White House national security adviser John Bolton from speaking publicly now, instead of waiting for a subpoena from the Senate.

Roberts said he has not talked to Bolton about this. Bolton said yesterday he’d be willing to testify at an impeachment trial if he is subpoenaed

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed “special gratitude” to President Trump for his decision to provide aid to Ukraine in a phone call with US Secretary Mike Pompeo, according to a readout published by the Ukrainian presidential office today.

According to a statement from the State Department, Pompeo spoke with Zelensky yesterday to discuss postponement of his trip to Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

The Ukrainian readout provided additional details of the call:

Why this matters: Trump’s July phone call with Zelensky and allegations that he withheld aid from Ukraine are at the center of the articles of impeachment. The House Democrats who conducted the impeachment probe argued Trump attempted to use the aid as leverage while pressing Ukraine to investigate his domestic political rivals.

Pompeo was scheduled to visit Ukraine on Jan. 3, making it the first visit of an administration official since the start of impeachment proceedings, but the trip was cancelled last minute due to the situation in Iraq.

Former White House national security adviser John Bolton provided a jolt to an otherwise weeks-long impeachment stalemate yesterday when he said he’d be willing to testify at the trial.

But the stalemate continues – and, at least at this point, Bolton is no closer to being subpoenaed than he was 24 hours ago.

In truth, all eyes for the moment should remain on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who still has the two articles of impeachment. The Senate can not begin the impeachment trial until the House, led by Pelosi, sends the articles over.

Here’s the bottom line: Bolton may testify. Bolton may not testify. Stating both of those things is not trying to have it both ways — it underscores the reality of the moment.

Republicans, almost to a senator, remain firmly behind Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for now. But this is all building to something. The moment of maximum pressure on Republican senators is coming – and Bolton’s statement underscores that. But it’s not here yet. 

The House approved two articles of impeachment against President Trump last month, before it went on recess for the holidays, but it has yet to send them over to the Senate, which will conduct a trial and decide whether to remove Trump from office.

Here’s what we’re watching today, as the impasse continues:

Lawmakers return to Washington this week to take back up the impeachment fight that’s largely in the same position it was before Congress left town for the holidays — at a standstill.

These are the latest developments in President Trump’s impeachment: