This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2019/dec/19/donald-trump-impeachment-news-house-of-representatives-senate-live
The article has changed 20 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 16 | Version 17 |
|---|---|
| Democrat opposed to Trump impeachment officially switches parties – live | Democrat opposed to Trump impeachment officially switches parties – live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Representative Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey broke with his party to vote against Trump’s impeachment and is now becoming a Republican | Representative Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey broke with his party to vote against Trump’s impeachment and is now becoming a Republican |
| Mark your calendars. | |
| At this historic moment ... | |
| A message from the Guardian US editor-in-chief: | |
| The president of the United States has been impeached. Let’s remind ourselves just what is at stake. To quote from the articles of impeachment: “President Trump has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.” | |
| There has never been a more urgent demonstration of the need for an independent press in the US. With your support, we can continue to provide fact-based reporting that offers public scrutiny and oversight. | |
| At a time when both media and politics are scarred by polarization, the Guardian remains an independent voice. Freed from the influence of an owner or shareholders, our independence is our unique driving force and guiding principle. | |
| As 2020 approaches, we’re asking our US readers to help us raise $1.5m by early January to support our journalism. We hope you’ll consider making a year-end gift. | |
| We also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the Guardian in 2019. You provide us with the motivation and financial support to keep doing what we do. | |
| Make a contribution. | |
| Christianity Today, the evangelical Christian magazine founded by televangelist Billy Graham, called for Donald Trump’s removal from office following the president’s impeachment, marking a significant split from what has typically been Trump’s staunch base. | |
| Editor-in-chief Mark Galli wrote that “the facts in this instance are unambiguous: The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents.” | |
| “That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral,” he wrote. | |
| “We believe the impeachment hearings have made it absolutely clear, in a way the Mueller investigation did not, that President Trump has abused his authority for personal gain and betrayed his constitutional oath,” Galli continued. “The impeachment hearings have illuminated the president’s moral deficiencies for all to see. This damages the institution of the presidency, damages the reputation of our country, and damages both the spirit and the future of our people.” | |
| Trump won the 2016 election with 81% of the white Christian evangelical vote, and support of evangelicals like Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University. Evangelical supporters were able to make peace with Trump’s history of marital infidelity and “grab them by the pussy” comments with his hard-right court appointments and Supreme Court nominees, but Galli pointed out the hypocrisy of this in his editorial, writing, “this president has dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration.” | |
| “He has hired and fired a number of people who are now convicted criminals,” Galli wrote. “He himself has admitted to immoral actions in business and his relationship with women, about which he remains proud. His Twitter feed alone—with its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slanders—is a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused.” | |
| Galli noted that Christianity Today typically does not weigh in on politics, but that the magazine wrote a similar editorial in 1998, when Bill Clinton was impeached. “Unfortunately, the words that we applied to Mr. Clinton 20 years ago apply almost perfectly to our current president,” he wrote. | |
| “To the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record, we might say this: Remember who you are and whom you serve,” Galli wrote. “Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior. Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump’s immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency. If we don’t reverse course now, will anyone take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come?” | |
| Bernie Sanders weighs in on Donald Trump’s comments on US Representative John Dingell: | Bernie Sanders weighs in on Donald Trump’s comments on US Representative John Dingell: |
| “Putin told me.” | “Putin told me.” |
| That’s what a former senior White House official says Donald Trump stated when expressing his theory that Ukraine tried to prevent him from winning the 2016 election, according to the Washington Post. | That’s what a former senior White House official says Donald Trump stated when expressing his theory that Ukraine tried to prevent him from winning the 2016 election, according to the Washington Post. |
| Amid speculation that he’ll leave his post to run for Senate, the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, gets a new deputy. | |
| The Senate voted 90-3 to confirm Stephen Biegun to be the deputy secretary, according to the Associated Press. | |
| The position was previously filled by John Sullivan, who was confirmed to be the new ambassador to Russia. | The position was previously filled by John Sullivan, who was confirmed to be the new ambassador to Russia. |
| Should Pompeo step down to run for Senate in his home state of Kansas next year, Biegun, a former Ford Motor Company executive who currently serves as the US special representative for North Korea, “is widely expected to fill the secretary of state job at least on an interim basis”, the Associated Press reports. | |
| Hi all, Vivian Ho on the west coast taking over the blog very briefly before some adults get on national television to yell about things. Let’s keep it calm, OK? | Hi all, Vivian Ho on the west coast taking over the blog very briefly before some adults get on national television to yell about things. Let’s keep it calm, OK? |
| The question remains unanswered, as Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not yet sent articles of impeachment, the formal charges against Trump, to the Senate. | The question remains unanswered, as Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not yet sent articles of impeachment, the formal charges against Trump, to the Senate. |
| Once in the Senate, lawmakers will begin a trial. A major question surrounding that trial is who the impeachment “managers” will be. | Once in the Senate, lawmakers will begin a trial. A major question surrounding that trial is who the impeachment “managers” will be. |
| We know they will be House Democrats, but Pelosi declined to say who she would select on Thursday. | We know they will be House Democrats, but Pelosi declined to say who she would select on Thursday. |
| She also said she is holding on to articles of impeachment until she knows whether there will be a fair trial in the Senate. | She also said she is holding on to articles of impeachment until she knows whether there will be a fair trial in the Senate. |
| Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is certain to be adversarial, and delivered a full throated attack on Democrats’ impeachment investigation this morning. | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is certain to be adversarial, and delivered a full throated attack on Democrats’ impeachment investigation this morning. |
| Notably, he did not defend President Trump on the facts of the case. | Notably, he did not defend President Trump on the facts of the case. |
| Incredibly, it’s also the sixth Democratic presidential debate tonight. | Incredibly, it’s also the sixth Democratic presidential debate tonight. |
| The new Democratic presidential field, winnowed by party requirements to qualify for televised debates, will be whiter than in months past. | The new Democratic presidential field, winnowed by party requirements to qualify for televised debates, will be whiter than in months past. |
| A new Iowa poll shows more voters are beginning to dislike b billionaires Tom Steyer and Mike Bloomberg. Steyer will be on stage tonight. | A new Iowa poll shows more voters are beginning to dislike b billionaires Tom Steyer and Mike Bloomberg. Steyer will be on stage tonight. |
| And one last thing... | And one last thing... |
| The Democrat-led House also approved the renegotiated US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, a win for the Trump administration. The Senate will likely take up the measure in the New Year. | The Democrat-led House also approved the renegotiated US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, a win for the Trump administration. The Senate will likely take up the measure in the New Year. |
| More from AP: | More from AP: |
| Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s speech this morning, which repeatedly invoked the importance of “precedent,” has prompted a discussion about former US Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland on Twitter. | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s speech this morning, which repeatedly invoked the importance of “precedent,” has prompted a discussion about former US Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland on Twitter. |
| Garland was President Obama’s nominee for Supreme Court, but McConnell refused to hold confirmation hearings, breaking with... ahem, tradition. | Garland was President Obama’s nominee for Supreme Court, but McConnell refused to hold confirmation hearings, breaking with... ahem, tradition. |
| Anti-impeachment Democrat, Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, has officially switched parties to become a Republican. Here’s more from the Associated Press: | Anti-impeachment Democrat, Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, has officially switched parties to become a Republican. Here’s more from the Associated Press: |
| At this historic moment ... | At this historic moment ... |
| … a message from the Guardian US editor-in-chief: | … a message from the Guardian US editor-in-chief: |
| The president of the United States has been impeached. Let’s remind ourselves what’s at stake. To quote from the articles of impeachment: “President Trump has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.” | The president of the United States has been impeached. Let’s remind ourselves what’s at stake. To quote from the articles of impeachment: “President Trump has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.” |
| When a country’s constitutional foundation is under threat it needs robust, independent institutions to help protect it. If ever there was a need for media oversight and public scrutiny it is now. | When a country’s constitutional foundation is under threat it needs robust, independent institutions to help protect it. If ever there was a need for media oversight and public scrutiny it is now. |
| Over the last three years, much of what the Guardian holds dear has been threatened – democracy, civility, truth. This US administration is establishing new norms of behaviour. Lying is commonplace. Truth is being chased away. But with your help we can continue to keep it center stage. | Over the last three years, much of what the Guardian holds dear has been threatened – democracy, civility, truth. This US administration is establishing new norms of behaviour. Lying is commonplace. Truth is being chased away. But with your help we can continue to keep it center stage. |
| As 2020 approaches, we’re asking our US readers to help us raise $1.5m by early January to support our journalism. We hope you’ll consider making a year-end gift. | As 2020 approaches, we’re asking our US readers to help us raise $1.5m by early January to support our journalism. We hope you’ll consider making a year-end gift. |
| We also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the Guardian in 2019. You provide us with the motivation and financial support to keep doing what we do. | We also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the Guardian in 2019. You provide us with the motivation and financial support to keep doing what we do. |
| Make a contribution. | Make a contribution. |