usatoday--2020-01-24--Rep. Adam Schiff ended Thursday's impeachment trial session with Trump's infamous phone call  – Upda

The Senate impeachment trial has resumed .
This file will be updated throughout the day .
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff decided to close proceedings by the evening by reading passages from President Donald Trump ’ s July 25 call with Volodymyr Zelensky to “ point out a few things that really struck my attention.
” Schiff joked he decided to take Trump ’ s directions to “ read the transcript , ” noting Trump had told his Twitter followers to do so earlier in the trial .
The California Democrat went on to read through several of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the passages .
“ If you would speak to him , that would be great .
Talk to Rudy , ” Schiff said , quoting from the July 25 call record .
Schiff pointed out how unusual it was for the president to suggest another world leader discuss political issues with his personal attorney .
“ Donald Trump chose Rudy Giulani over his own intelligence agencies , ” Schiff said of Trump ’ s choice to “ believe Rudy Giulani ” about Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election over the conclusions of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been selective in their reading of the July 25 call record .
Earlier in the evening , Sen. James Lankford , R-Okla. , told reporters Democrats were “ cherry-picking ” parts of transcripts , including that of the July 25 call .
“ There ’ s parts they are conveniently cherry-picking out that I look at and say , let ’ s get the whole story , ” Lankford said .
Ernst : ‘ Hypocritical ’ for Democrats to criticize Trump on Ukraine aid Sen. Joni Ernst , R-Iowa , said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criticize Trump and his withholding of aid to Ukraine because Trump had done more for Ukraine than “ the past administration.
” “ It is really hypocritical of them to be pointing the finger at our president who has done more for the Ukrainian people than the past administration and them , ” she said .
“ Four of those House managers sitting right there are lecturing us on our president who provided lethal aid to Ukraine , while they voted no or against it.
” Ernst noted that some of the House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s government funding bill , and Rep. Jerry Nadler had not voted on it .
Nadler had been away the day of the vote for a family emergency , Politico reported .
Sekulow : Dems ‘ opened the door ’ for trial to be about Biden Jay Sekulow , one of the president ’ s attorneys arguing on his behalf during the impeachment trial , said house managers ’ focus on Joe Biden throughout their hours of presentations on Thursday “ opened the door ” for them to concentrate on the former vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last five hours , it 's been a lot about Joe Biden and Burisma , ” Sekulow said , mentioning the Ukrainian gas company where Biden ’ s son served on the board .
“ They kind of opened the door for that response so we 'll determine as a defense team the appropriate way to do it.
” Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas , agreed , arguing that the house managers ’ decision to focus on Biden and Burisma had several consequences , including making Hunter Biden , the vice president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relevant .
He is now critical.
” He added that when the president ’ s counsel presents , “ they are going to have the opportunity to present the very significant evidence that supported and still supports a serious investigation into corruption at Burisma , and ultimately whether Joe Biden participated in that corruption.
” So far , many Republicans have fended off calls for Hunter Biden to testify in the trial , explaining it would create a spectacle .
Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Bidens in to testify .
“ They asked for him in the House and they said 'no , ' '' Graham said of Hunter Biden , `` but I do n't want to litigate that .
I do n't think it 's necessary to dispose of this issue .
I like Joe Biden , this man has been through a lot of tragic events in this life , and I have no desire to turn this Senate trial into a circus . ''
The Republican from South Carolina added , though , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his voters and ignore questions about Biden 's conduct in Ukraine .
`` I ca n't go home and say that we should just ignore what happened in Ukraine because I like Joe Biden , '' he said .
Other Republicans cautioned the president ’ s team from veering into the theories that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election , something that the president has echoed .
`` Unless they know something I do n't know or have n't seen , I think the intelligence community has very conclusively determined that it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the 2016 election , so that 's not a direction I would have gone in , ” said Sen. John Thune , R-S.D .
Graham tells Trump not to come to the trial Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , a close ally of President Donald Trump , told reporters he did not want Trump to come to the Senate trial .
“ He hasn ’ t told me whether or not he wants to come , but in case you ’ re listening , don ’ t come , ” Graham said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff recounting Trump telling Russia “ if you ’ re listening ” to find Hillary Clinton ’ s emails .
Trump said in Davos he would `` love '' to attend the trial , though his attorney Jay Sekulow said yesterday that `` Presidents do n't do that . ''
Graham spoke to the president last night , he said , and Trump was “ bored ” by the trial .
“ He is on the receiving end of this .
If you ’ ve ever been in one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been accused , and it ’ s very emotional , ” Graham said , adding that Trump was having the “ reaction a normal person would have if they were accused of something.
” Collins sent a note to Roberts before admonishment Sen. Susan Collins , R-Maine , said she was `` stunned '' by remarks given by House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler at the start of the trial , where he accused senators of being complicit in a cover-up if they shot down measures to hear from additional witnesses .
Collins , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to convince that more witnesses should be heard from during the trial , said the remarks caused her to write a note to Chief Justice John Roberts , asking whether the Senate 's rules had been violated .
`` I was stunned by Congressman Nadler ’ s approach , and it reminded me that if we were in a normal debate in the Senate , that the rule will be invoked to strike the words of the Senator , for impugning another Senator in this case , '' she explained in an interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by her office .
`` So , I did write a note raising the issue of whether there had been a violation of the rules of the Senate . ''
Collins said she gave the note to Laura Dove , the secretary for the Senate majority .
Shortly after the note was delivered , Roberts admonished both house managers and Trump 's counsel for the testy back-and-forth .
`` I was glad that he did , '' Collins said .
Republicans decline to respond to videos of past statements Republicans generally declined to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statements from members of the president ’ s legal defense team and Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , about impeachable offenses and abuses of power .
Trump ’ s attorney Jay Sekulow said his team was composed of lawyers from many different schools of thought on the level of conduct constituting an impeachable offenses , and “ the actions alleged and the actions of the president , do not reach that level regardless of your school of thought ” Sen. Josh Hawley , R-Mo.
, quipped , “ I thought Lindsey looked a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the video of Graham .
Sen. Mike Braun , R-Ind.
, said the consequence of being in politics for a long time was sometimes contradictory positions .
“ That ’ s the irony of being here a long time , and all the different dynamics you might be part of , ” Braun said .
“ I don ’ t think you can hold that against Lindsey , since I think you can hold that against almost every Democrat that is currently here today that was there over 20 years ago.
” One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , D-Texas , spent her presentation outlining allegations of potential corruption by former Vice President Joe Biden and his son , Hunter , were false .
Garcia argued that President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to investigate Biden based on a debunked theory and at a time in 2019 when Biden was leading polls as the Democratic contender to challenge Trump .
“ The entire premise of the investigation that the president wanted Ukraine to pursue was false , ” Garcia said .
“ There is simply no evidence – nothing , nada – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegation.
” Garcia recited the history that Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma Holdings in 2014 , at a time when the Ukraine gas company was under investigation because of its oligarch owner .
Viktor Shokin became Ukraine ’ s prosecutor general in 2015 and he allowed the investigation to go dormant , Garcia said .
In late 2015 , Joe Biden called for the removal of Shokin because he was widely perceived as ineffective and corrupt , Garcia said .
Shokin ’ s removal was also sought by the European Union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators sent a letter Feb. 12 , 2016 , urging Shokin ’ s removal .
Shokin was fired a month later .
George Kent , who was the second-in-command at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine , testified that Shokin routinely lived more lavishly than his government salary would allow and covered up crimes .
“ Biden called for removal of prosecutor at the direction of U.S. policy because the prosecutor was widely perceived as corrupt , ” Garcia said .
But in a phone call July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s new President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Bidens and Burisma because he had heard “ horrible ” things about potential corruption in Ukraine .
The call came after Trump hadn ’ t pursued anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine in 2017 and 2018 , but at a time when Biden was leading in polls to challenge Trump , Garcia said .
“ He pushed for an investigation in 2019 because that is when it would be valuable to him , President Trump , ” Garcia said .
“ He had good reason to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testimony from several government officials who testified during the House impeachment inquiry that they were not aware of Biden being corrupt and that Shokin wasn ’ t investigating Burisma at the time he was fired .
The officials included former National Security Council aide Fiona Hill ; David Holmes , the political officer at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine , and Marie Yovanovitch , the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine .
“ My understanding is the prosecutor general at the time , Shokin , was not at that time pursuing investigations of Burisma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Garcia also played videos of other U.S. officials who dismissed allegations against Ukraine .
“ We at the FBI have no information that would indicate that Ukraine tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential election , ” FBI Director Christopher Wray told ABC News .
Hill , the Russia expert at the National Security Council , disputed allegations that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 election , citing the conclusion of the U.S. intelligence community , and calling the accusation Russian propaganda .
“ This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves , ” Hill testified in the House inquiry .
“ It is beyond dispute.
” Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , said when Democrats claim that allegations against the Bidens have been debunked , he isn ’ t so sure .
Graham thinks more questions should be asked about why Hunter Biden was hired by Burisma and why he was hired after former Vice President Joe Biden was put in charge of the government ’ s portfolio dealing with Ukraine .
“ I do n't know .
Does n't pass the smell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters Thursday .
“ Why are you paying Hunter Biden ?
You can say they are corrupt , but they 're not stupid .
Does it make sense to hire the son of the guy in charge of the portfolio for the American government ?
” Graham said he wasn ’ t accusing Joe Biden of corruption , but saying that more questions about the activities of both Bidens in Ukraine are warranted .
“ I do n't know anything about the Biden connection to the Ukraine , ” Graham said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been looked at and debunked , by who ?
” Republicans eager to hear Trump 's side as Democrats argue for conviction Republicans who have watched for hours as House managers present their impeachment case against President Donald Trump are eager to hear from Trump 's defense team , something they say could shed new light on the chain of events that led to Trump ’ s impeachment .
Sen. Josh Hawley , R-Mo.
, noted it would be the first time Americans have really heard the full story from the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to hear their version of events , ” he said .
“ There ’ s all kinds of allegations that have been thrown up in the air and so they 'll have a chance to lay out their timeline , their version of events.
” Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , said he wanted Americans to hear more about Ukraine ’ s corruption , how the president viewed this and more about the Biden family .
“ I love Joe Biden but I can tell you if the name was Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked , ” he said .
“ All I can tell you is from the president ’ s point of view , he did nothing wrong in his mind , '' Graham added .
House Republicans who were tapped by the president as part of his defense , stressed that Trump ’ s counsel is prepared .
“ They 're well prepared and they 've been prepared , ” said Rep. Jim Jordan , R-Ohio , who explained that he and other House Republicans have been meeting with Trump ’ s legal team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ They 've been following the case all the way through.
” Rep. Mike Johnson , R-La.
, pushed back on criticism that Trump ’ s counsel did not look as prepared as house managers , who have offered a multimedia presentation and videos .
“ These are members of the U.S. Senate .
This is not an elementary school .
You do n't need visual aids , ” he argued .
House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler , D-N.Y. , challenged the argument from Trump ’ s defenders that impeachment must allege @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make his point , Nadler played a 1999 video of Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , who was a manager 20 years ago in the impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton .
The Constitution allows impeachment for “ high crimes and misdemeanors , ” a term that has been debated during the Trump investigation .
“ What ’ s a high crime ?
” Graham asked in the well of the Senate in 1999 .
“ How about an important person hurting somebody of low means ?
It ’ s not very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the truth .
I think that ’ s what they meant by high crimes .
Doesn ’ t even have to be a crime .
It ’ s just when you start using your office and you ’ re acting in a way that hurts people , you ’ ve committed a high crime.
” Republicans have challenged the accusations of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress as vague and not grounded in established law .
“ This view is completely wrong , ” Nadler said of the Republican argument .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ text and structure , original meaning , congressional precedents , common sense or the consensus of credible experts .
In other words , it conflicts with every relevant consideration.
” Nadler quoted two constitutional scholars who testified at a Dec. 4 hearing in the impeachment inquiry .
Michael Gerhardt , a law professor at the University of North Carolina , said the Constitution “ plainly does not ” require a violation of law for impeachment .
'It puts even President Nixon to shame ' : Schiff , Nadler open trial WASHINGTON – House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the article of impeachment accusing President Donald Trump of abuse of power in their arguments Thursday in the Senate .
House impeachment managers prosecuting the case will attempt to show how the law and Constitution are applied to the president ’ s dealings with Ukraine , according to the lead manager , Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff .
The prosecutors will do the same Friday for the second article of impeachment , which accuses Trump of obstruction of justice , Schiff said .
The arguments Thursday on abuse of power and Friday on obstruction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is because the evidence will be interwoven with new context , said Schiff .
“ There is some method to our madness , ” he added .
Shortly after 1 p.m. EST , House impeachment managers began their second day of arguments in the case .
Another manager , Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler , D-N.Y. , said the abuse of power could have been charged just for Trump asking Ukraine to investigate his political rival , former Vice President Joe Biden .
But Nadler said Trump went further , withholding $ 391 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House meeting .
`` Since President George Washington took office in 1789 , no president has abused his power in this way , '' Nadler said .
`` No president has ever used his office to compel a foreign nation to help him cheat in our elections . ''
Nadler said the accusation of obstruction stems from Trump directing his administration to defy all subpoenas for testimony and documents during the investigation .
“ The articles are overwhelmingly supported by the evidence amassed by the House , notwithstanding the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all witnesses and all documents from the United States Congress , ” Nadler said .
“ It puts even President Nixon to shame.
” Minutes after Thursday 's session opened , Trump tweeted out a warning to Democrats : His legal team will call witnesses of their own if the House Democratic managers get the opportunity to question witnesses .
`` The Democrats don ’ t want a Witness Trade because Shifty Schiff , the Biden ’ s , the fake Whistleblower ( & his lawyer ) , the second Whistleblower ( who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the so-called “ informer ” , & many other Democrat disasters , would be a BIG problem for them ! ''
Three senators were spotted with fidget spinners as impeachment trial proceedings began on Thursday .
Sens .
Tom Cotton , R-Ark.
, Richard Burr , R-N.C. , and Pat Toomey , R-Pa. , were spotted with spinners on their desks .
As House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler started presenting and played video from the House impeachment inquiry about the constitutional basis for impeachment , Burr picked up his blue fidget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kelly Loeffler , R-Ga. , who sits next to Burr , looked over and smiled .
Wednesday takeaways : Takeaways from opening arguments in the Trump impeachment Senate trial White House aides sought to clarify President Donald Trump 's comment this week that he and aides `` have all the material '' in the impeachment case – a suggestion critics took to mean that Trump is hiding evidence from investigators .
`` That 's a ridiculous allegation , '' Trump spokesman Hogan Gidley said , adding that Trump was saying `` the evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ During an economic conference in Davos , Switzerland , Trump condemned House impeachment managers and praised his attorneys by saying : `` I thought our team did a very good job .
But honestly , we have all the material .
They do n't have the material . ''
Milk or water : For senators at Trump impeachment trial , there are only 2 beverage options : milk and water So what exactly are senators doing at their desks while the hours-long cases for and against impeachment are being made ?
Some are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ glasses of milk .
And some are scribbling down thoughts .
Late during Tuesday ’ s session , when Trump 's lawyer Pat Cipollone described the president as someone who `` is a man of his word , ” Sen. Mazie Hirono , D-Hawaii , wrote in her notebook : She relayed the story during a news conference Thursday , adding : “ That 's not the only time.
” “ She didn ’ t mean a hamburger , ” chimed in Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y. standing next to her .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ both ways on 'new ' testimony Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that GOP senators ’ dismissive claim that they ’ re hearing no new material during President Donald Trump ’ s impeachment trial “ rings very , very hollow ” – considering they ’ re blocking Democratic efforts to call more witnesses and request more documents .
“ The same Republicans saying they heard nothing new just voted nine times on Tuesday to hear nothing new , ” Schumer , D-N.Y. , told reporters during a pretrial news conference .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s plenty of it.
” Schumer was referring to the amendments Democrats offered during the first day of the trial to allow certain witnesses and records pertaining to the impeachment investigation that are not part of the House ’ s case .
All of the amendments were defeated on a strict partly-line vote in the Republican-controlled chamber , though they could be taken up again at a later time .
Democrats have pointed to Trump ’ s remarks Wednesday that `` we have all the material .
They do n't have all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House spokesman , said Trump was n't bragging about withholding documents from Democrats , as some lawmakers have said .
“ What the president was clearly saying was that the evidence was all on our side , '' Gidley said .
Several GOP senators , including Ted Cruz , R-Texas ; John Barrasso , R-Wyo.
, and John Cornyn , R-Texas , on Wednesday bemoaned the repetitive nature of the Democrat ’ s case during nearly eight hours of oral arguments .
Sen. Tim Scott , R-S.C. , called it “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charade.
” Schumer and other Democrats already shot down a rumored proposal to allow Trump ’ s former national security adviser John Bolton to testify if Joe Biden 's son Hunter could as well .
Democrats see Bolton as someone who could help make the case that Trump engaged in a “ quid pro quo ” with Ukraine .
Republicans say Hunter Biden would be forced to answer pointed questions about his role on the board of a Ukrainian energy company key to the impeachment inquiry .
Schiff gets applause from an unlikely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who ’ s leading the impeachment arguments during the Senate trial , got kudos from an unlikely source : Sen. Lindsey Graham .
`` Good job today .
Very well-spoken , ” Graham , the South Carolina Republican , told Schiff , the California Democrat , late Wednesday during an impromptu meeting between the two near the elevators outside the Senate chamber .
Schiff and his fellow House managers had just wrapped up nearly eight hours of oral arguments when the exchange happened and the two shook hands .
It seemed an unlikely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regarding impeachment .
Schiff , the House Intelligence Committee chairman , had just been on the floor calling President Donald Trump ’ s pressure campaign on Ukraine a “ gross abuse of power.
” Graham , a tenacious Trump defender , had encouraged the president earlier in the day not to cooperate with Schiff , saying : “ I wouldn ’ t give them the time of day.
” When they ’ re not stuck in their seats at the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump , senators will have the chance to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vice President Mike Pence that Democrats have unsuccessfully tried to make public .
After Senate Republicans rejected an attempt Tuesday to allow the Senate to receive classified information into evidence , Chief Justice John Roberts late Wednesday announced an agreement to allow classified information into the record .
Senators will have to review it in a secure setting .
The information is part of a description of Pence ’ s Sept. 18 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky given to the committee by Jennifer Williams , a foreign policy adviser to Pence .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and there ’ s no reason it should be classified .
“ Jennifer Williams has classified information to share with you that I hope you 'll take a look at because it is relevant to these issues , ” House impeachment manager Adam Schiff said .
Pence 's office previously refused Democrats ’ request to declassifying the information , saying in a Dec. 11 letter that it would serve no purpose .
“ This call was classified when it occurred , ” Pence spokeswoman Katie Waldman tweeted Wednesday night .
“ House Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowed and asked Jennifer Williams to discuss a classified call in an unclassified setting .
They are now trying to cover their tracks.
” Pence had previously said he had no problem with the White House releasing transcripts of his conversations with Zelensky .
Back at the White House after an overseas trip , President Donald Trump did n't waste much time before attacking Democratic prosecutors at the Senate impeachment trial .
`` The Democrats are trying hard to damage Republicans prior to the Election ! ''
Trump said during an early morning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accused him of abuse of power .
Trump also cited pundits who attacked the process , including conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh , and singled out Rep. Adam Schiff , D-Calif. , the lead House impeachment manager , as `` Shifty Schiff . ''
The president , who spent the past two days at an international economic conference in Davos , Switzerland , has no public events on his schedule Thursday .
After a series of private meetings the White House , Trump leaves at mid-day for a trip to Miami @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed-door speech to the Republican National Committee , which is holding its winter meeting at the Trump National Doral golf resort .
Trump is also expected to watch parts of the impeachment trial on television .
Constitution , legal grounds for removal will be the focus House Democrats will continue detailing their case against President Donald Trump as the Senate impeachment trial resumes Thursday and are expected to focus on the Constitution and the legal grounds for the president 's removal .
The seven prosecutors , who are called managers , spoke for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accusing Trump of abuse of power .
They chronicled their evidence about Trump pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival , former vice president Joe Biden , while withholding $ 391 million in military aid .
“ I think it 's a gross abuse of power , ” said the lead manager , Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff , D-Calif. “ And I do n't think that the impeachment power is a relic .
If it is a relic , I wonder how much longer our Republic can succeed . ''
On Thursday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Constitution and lay out the legal framework that they say merits Trump 's removal from office .
Schiff said the group would `` apply the facts to the law as it relates to the president ’ s abuse of power . ''
The seven managers will have up to 24 hours spread over three sessions to make their arguments .
Then Trump ’ s defense team , which is led by White House counsel Pat Cipollone and private lawyer Jay Sekulow , will have up to 24 hours over three sessions to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arguments . '
I got four hours sleep ' : Takeaways from opening arguments in the Trump impeachment Senate trial Sekulow told reporters that the defense lawyers , during their turn , would first respond to the House charges and then “ we are going to make an affirmative case defending the president.
” After hearing the opening arguments , senators will have up to 16 hours to pose written questions to both sides through Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts , who is presiding .
As the arguments got underway , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conference in Davos , Switzerland .
But he will be in Washington Thursday as the trial continues .
Trump criticized the trial and called two of the managers – Schiff and Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler , D-N.Y. – `` major sleazebags '' during a news conference Wednesday .
“ It ’ s total hoax .
It ’ s a disgrace .
They talked about their tremendous case .
They have no case , ” Trump said .
Schiff summarized the case over about two hours Wednesday by offering a chronology of the events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collected .
Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler , D-N.Y. , described how Trump ’ s personal lawyer , Rudy Giuliani , smeared Marie Yovanovitch , the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine , before the president removed her .
Democrats argued that her removal opened the door to pressuring Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son , Hunter Biden , who worked for a Ukraine gas company .
`` It is beyond argument that President Trump mounted a sustained pressure campaign to get Ukraine to announce investigations that would benefit him politically , and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nadler said .
Alexander Hamilton : Schiff opens Trump impeachment trial arguments with a quote from Alexander Hamilton Rep. Sylvia Garcia , D-Texas , highlighted how Giuliani 's push for investigations benefited Trump personally rather than the national interest .
“ Giuliani admitted that he was asking Ukraine to work on investigations that could be ‘ very , very helpful ’ to the president , ” Garcia said .
Rep. Jason Crow , a former Army Ranger , focused on the suspension of military aid for Ukraine while at war with Russia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ lines against Russian-backed forces illegally occupying their country , '' said Crow , D-Colo. Rep. Val Demings , D-Fla. , described how White House officials dangled the opportunity for Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit the White House – if he announced investigations against the Bidens .
'Pettifogging ' : Chief Justice John Roberts drops 'pettifogging ' bomb while reprimanding both sides in impeachment trial But former national adviser John Bolton opposed the exchange , deriding it was a `` drug deal '' cooked up by Gordon Sondland , the U.S. ambassador to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney , Demings said .
`` Mr. Giuliani became an inescapable presence to both Ukrainian officials and American diplomats , '' Demings said .
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries , D-N.Y. , went line by line through the summary of Trump 's July 25 call with Zelensky , when the president asked his counterpart to investigate the Bidens .
`` These words will live in infamy , '' Jeffries said of Trump asking for `` a favor . ''
Rep. Zoe Lofgren , D-Calif. , walked through the lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military aid for Ukraine or for why it was released Sept. 11 .
“ Nothing to justify the president ’ s change in decision – except he got caught , '' Lofgren said .
Joe Biden : Ex VP says he would not 'make the deal ' to testify in impeachment trial

Bart Jansen, Christal Hayes and Ledyard King, USA TODAY

Rep. Adam Schiff ended Thursday's impeachment trial session with Trump's infamous phone call – Updates
The Senate impeachment trial has resumed. This file will be updated throughout the day.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff decided to close proceedings by the evening by reading passages from President Donald Trump’s July 25 call with Volodymyr Zelensky to “point out a few things that really struck my attention.”
Schiff joked he decided to take Trump’s directions to “read the transcript,” noting Trump had told his Twitter followers to do so earlier in the trial.
The California Democrat went on to read through several of the passages, adding his own analysis to the passages.
“If you would speak to him, that would be great. Talk to Rudy,” Schiff said, quoting from the July 25 call record.
Schiff pointed out how unusual it was for the president to suggest another world leader discuss political issues with his personal attorney.
“Donald Trump chose Rudy Giulani over his own intelligence agencies,” Schiff said of Trump’s choice to “believe Rudy Giulani” about Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election over the conclusions of his own intelligence agencies.
Republicans say Democrats have been selective in their reading of the July 25 call record. Earlier in the evening, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told reporters Democrats were “cherry-picking” parts of transcripts, including that of the July 25 call.
“There’s parts they are conveniently cherry-picking out that I look at and say, let’s get the whole story,” Lankford said.
- Nicholas Wu
Ernst: ‘Hypocritical’ for Democrats to criticize Trump on Ukraine aid
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said it was “hypocritical” of Democrats to criticize Trump and his withholding of aid to Ukraine because Trump had done more for Ukraine than “the past administration.”
“It is really hypocritical of them to be pointing the finger at our president who has done more for the Ukrainian people than the past administration and them,” she said.
“Four of those House managers sitting right there are lecturing us on our president who provided lethal aid to Ukraine, while they voted no or against it.”
Ernst noted that some of the House managers had voted against this year’s government funding bill, and Rep. Jerry Nadler had not voted on it.
Nadler had been away the day of the vote for a family emergency, Politico reported.
- Nicholas Wu
Sekulow: Dems ‘opened the door’ for trial to be about Biden
Jay Sekulow, one of the president’s attorneys arguing on his behalf during the impeachment trial, said house managers’ focus on Joe Biden throughout their hours of presentations on Thursday “opened the door” for them to concentrate on the former vice president in their rebuttal.
“For the last five hours, it's been a lot about Joe Biden and Burisma,” Sekulow said, mentioning the Ukrainian gas company where Biden’s son served on the board. “They kind of opened the door for that response so we'll determine as a defense team the appropriate way to do it.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, agreed, arguing that the house managers’ decision to focus on Biden and Burisma had several consequences, including making Hunter Biden, the vice president’s son, “not only relevant. He is now critical.”
He added that when the president’s counsel presents, “they are going to have the opportunity to present the very significant evidence that supported and still supports a serious investigation into corruption at Burisma, and ultimately whether Joe Biden participated in that corruption.”
So far, many Republicans have fended off calls for Hunter Biden to testify in the trial, explaining it would create a spectacle. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he was fending off pressure to call the Bidens in to testify.
“They asked for him in the House and they said 'no,'" Graham said of Hunter Biden, "but I don't want to litigate that. I don't think it's necessary to dispose of this issue. I like Joe Biden, this man has been through a lot of tragic events in this life, and I have no desire to turn this Senate trial into a circus."
The Republican from South Carolina added, though, he couldn't just go back to his voters and ignore questions about Biden's conduct in Ukraine.
"I can't go home and say that we should just ignore what happened in Ukraine because I like Joe Biden," he said.
Other Republicans cautioned the president’s team from veering into the theories that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election, something that the president has echoed.
"Unless they know something I don't know or haven't seen, I think the intelligence community has very conclusively determined that it was Russia, and not Ukraine who interfered in the 2016 election, so that's not a direction I would have gone in,” said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.
-- Christal Hayes and Nicholas Wu
Graham tells Trump not to come to the trial
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close ally of President Donald Trump, told reporters he did not want Trump to come to the Senate trial.
“He hasn’t told me whether or not he wants to come, but in case you’re listening, don’t come,” Graham said, making a reference to remarks by Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff recounting Trump telling Russia “if you’re listening” to find Hillary Clinton’s emails.
Trump said in Davos he would "love" to attend the trial, though his attorney Jay Sekulow said yesterday that "Presidents don't do that."
Graham spoke to the president last night, he said, and Trump was “bored” by the trial.
“He is on the receiving end of this. If you’ve ever been in one of these situations where you’ve been accused, and it’s very emotional,” Graham said, adding that Trump was having the “reaction a normal person would have if they were accused of something.”
- Nicholas Wu
Collins sent a note to Roberts before admonishment
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she was "stunned" by remarks given by House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler at the start of the trial, where he accused senators of being complicit in a cover-up if they shot down measures to hear from additional witnesses.
Collins, a key moderate who Democrats are hoping to convince that more witnesses should be heard from during the trial, said the remarks caused her to write a note to Chief Justice John Roberts, asking whether the Senate's rules had been violated.
"I was stunned by Congressman Nadler’s approach, and it reminded me that if we were in a normal debate in the Senate, that the rule will be invoked to strike the words of the Senator, for impugning another Senator in this case," she explained in an interview with Politico, remarks that were confirmed by her office. "So, I did write a note raising the issue of whether there had been a violation of the rules of the Senate."
Collins said she gave the note to Laura Dove, the secretary for the Senate majority. Shortly after the note was delivered, Roberts admonished both house managers and Trump's counsel for the testy back-and-forth. "I was glad that he did," Collins said.
- Christal Hayes
Republicans decline to respond to videos of past statements
Republicans generally declined to respond to videos Democrats showed of past statements from members of the president’s legal defense team and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., about impeachable offenses and abuses of power.
Trump’s attorney Jay Sekulow said his team was composed of lawyers from many different schools of thought on the level of conduct constituting an impeachable offenses, and “the actions alleged and the actions of the president, do not reach that level regardless of your school of thought”
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., quipped, “I thought Lindsey looked a lot younger,” when asked about the video of Graham.
Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., said the consequence of being in politics for a long time was sometimes contradictory positions.
“That’s the irony of being here a long time, and all the different dynamics you might be part of,” Braun said. “I don’t think you can hold that against Lindsey, since I think you can hold that against almost every Democrat that is currently here today that was there over 20 years ago.”
- Nicholas Wu
Garcia disputes Trump allegations against Biden
One of the managers, Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, spent her presentation outlining allegations of potential corruption by former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, were false. Garcia argued that President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to investigate Biden based on a debunked theory and at a time in 2019 when Biden was leading polls as the Democratic contender to challenge Trump.
“The entire premise of the investigation that the president wanted Ukraine to pursue was false,” Garcia said. “There is simply no evidence – nothing, nada – in the record to support this baseless allegation.”
Garcia recited the history that Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma Holdings in 2014, at a time when the Ukraine gas company was under investigation because of its oligarch owner. Viktor Shokin became Ukraine’s prosecutor general in 2015 and he allowed the investigation to go dormant, Garcia said.
In late 2015, Joe Biden called for the removal of Shokin because he was widely perceived as ineffective and corrupt, Garcia said. Shokin’s removal was also sought by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, Garcia said. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators sent a letter Feb. 12, 2016, urging Shokin’s removal. Shokin was fired a month later. George Kent, who was the second-in-command at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, testified that Shokin routinely lived more lavishly than his government salary would allow and covered up crimes.
“Biden called for removal of prosecutor at the direction of U.S. policy because the prosecutor was widely perceived as corrupt,” Garcia said.
But in a phone call July 25, 2019, Trump urged Ukraine’s new President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Bidens and Burisma because he had heard “horrible” things about potential corruption in Ukraine. The call came after Trump hadn’t pursued anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine in 2017 and 2018, but at a time when Biden was leading in polls to challenge Trump, Garcia said.
“He pushed for an investigation in 2019 because that is when it would be valuable to him, President Trump,” Garcia said. “He had good reason to be concerned.”
Garcia played videos of testimony from several government officials who testified during the House impeachment inquiry that they were not aware of Biden being corrupt and that Shokin wasn’t investigating Burisma at the time he was fired. The officials included former National Security Council aide Fiona Hill; David Holmes, the political officer at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, and Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.
“My understanding is the prosecutor general at the time, Shokin, was not at that time pursuing investigations of Burisma or the Bidens,” Holmes said.
Garcia also played videos of other U.S. officials who dismissed allegations against Ukraine.
“We at the FBI have no information that would indicate that Ukraine tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential election,” FBI Director Christopher Wray told ABC News.
Hill, the Russia expert at the National Security Council, disputed allegations that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 election, citing the conclusion of the U.S. intelligence community, and calling the accusation Russian propaganda.
“This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves,” Hill testified in the House inquiry. “It is beyond dispute.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said when Democrats claim that allegations against the Bidens have been debunked, he isn’t so sure. Graham thinks more questions should be asked about why Hunter Biden was hired by Burisma and why he was hired after former Vice President Joe Biden was put in charge of the government’s portfolio dealing with Ukraine.
“I don't know. Doesn't pass the smell test to me,” Graham told reporters Thursday. “Why are you paying Hunter Biden? You can say they are corrupt, but they're not stupid. Does it make sense to hire the son of the guy in charge of the portfolio for the American government?”
Graham said he wasn’t accusing Joe Biden of corruption, but saying that more questions about the activities of both Bidens in Ukraine are warranted.
“I don't know anything about the Biden connection to the Ukraine,” Graham said. “So when the managers tell me this has been looked at and debunked, by who?”
- Bart Jansen
Republicans eager to hear Trump's side as Democrats argue for conviction
Republicans who have watched for hours as House managers present their impeachment case against President Donald Trump are eager to hear from Trump's defense team, something they say could shed new light on the chain of events that led to Trump’s impeachment.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., noted it would be the first time Americans have really heard the full story from the president.
“Well, I think we want to hear their version of events,” he said. “There’s all kinds of allegations that have been thrown up in the air and so they'll have a chance to lay out their timeline, their version of events.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he wanted Americans to hear more about Ukraine’s corruption, how the president viewed this and more about the Biden family.
“I love Joe Biden but I can tell you if the name was Trump, there would be a lot of questions asked,” he said.
“All I can tell you is from the president’s point of view, he did nothing wrong in his mind," Graham added.
House Republicans who were tapped by the president as part of his defense, stressed that Trump’s counsel is prepared.
“They're well prepared and they've been prepared,” said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who explained that he and other House Republicans have been meeting with Trump’s legal team at the White House on multiple occasions. “They've been following the case all the way through.”
Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., pushed back on criticism that Trump’s counsel did not look as prepared as house managers, who have offered a multimedia presentation and videos.
“These are members of the U.S. Senate. This is not an elementary school. You don't need visual aids,” he argued.
- Christal Hayes
Lindsey Graham's Clinton impeachment speech is played
House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., challenged the argument from Trump’s defenders that impeachment must allege a violation of statutory law.
To make his point, Nadler played a 1999 video of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who was a manager 20 years ago in the impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton. The Constitution allows impeachment for “high crimes and misdemeanors,” a term that has been debated during the Trump investigation.
“What’s a high crime?” Graham asked in the well of the Senate in 1999. “How about an important person hurting somebody of low means? It’s not very scholarly, but I think it’s the truth. I think that’s what they meant by high crimes. Doesn’t even have to be a crime. It’s just when you start using your office and you’re acting in a way that hurts people, you’ve committed a high crime.”
Republicans have challenged the accusations of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress as vague and not grounded in established law.
“This view is completely wrong,” Nadler said of the Republican argument. “It has no support in constitutional text and structure, original meaning, congressional precedents, common sense or the consensus of credible experts. In other words, it conflicts with every relevant consideration.”
Nadler quoted two constitutional scholars who testified at a Dec. 4 hearing in the impeachment inquiry.
Michael Gerhardt, a law professor at the University of North Carolina, said the Constitution “plainly does not” require a violation of law for impeachment.
- Bart Jansen
'It puts even President Nixon to shame': Schiff, Nadler open trial
WASHINGTON – House Democrats will describe the constitutional underpinnings of the article of impeachment accusing President Donald Trump of abuse of power in their arguments Thursday in the Senate.
House impeachment managers prosecuting the case will attempt to show how the law and Constitution are applied to the president’s dealings with Ukraine, according to the lead manager, Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff.
The prosecutors will do the same Friday for the second article of impeachment, which accuses Trump of obstruction of justice, Schiff said. The arguments Thursday on abuse of power and Friday on obstruction of Congress might sound repetitious, but that is because the evidence will be interwoven with new context, said Schiff.
“There is some method to our madness,” he added.
Shortly after 1 p.m. EST, House impeachment managers began their second day of arguments in the case.
Another manager, Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said the abuse of power could have been charged just for Trump asking Ukraine to investigate his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. But Nadler said Trump went further, withholding $391 million in vital military aid and a White House meeting.
"Since President George Washington took office in 1789, no president has abused his power in this way," Nadler said. "No president has ever used his office to compel a foreign nation to help him cheat in our elections."
Nadler said the accusation of obstruction stems from Trump directing his administration to defy all subpoenas for testimony and documents during the investigation.
“The articles are overwhelmingly supported by the evidence amassed by the House, notwithstanding the president’s complete stonewalling, his attempt to block all witnesses and all documents from the United States Congress,” Nadler said. “It puts even President Nixon to shame.”
- Bart Jansen
Trump tweets as arguments begin
Minutes after Thursday's session opened, Trump tweeted out a warning to Democrats: His legal team will call witnesses of their own if the House Democratic managers get the opportunity to question witnesses.
"The Democrats don’t want a Witness Trade because Shifty Schiff, the Biden’s, the fake Whistleblower(& his lawyer), the second Whistleblower (who vanished after I released the Transcripts), the so-called “informer”, & many other Democrat disasters, would be a BIG problem for them!"
- David Jackson
Impeachment fact-check: Fact-checking the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump
Fidget spinners in the chamber
Three senators were spotted with fidget spinners as impeachment trial proceedings began on Thursday.
Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., were spotted with spinners on their desks.
As House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler started presenting and played video from the House impeachment inquiry about the constitutional basis for impeachment, Burr picked up his blue fidget spinner and started twirling it. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., who sits next to Burr, looked over and smiled.
- Nicholas Wu
Wednesday takeaways: Takeaways from opening arguments in the Trump impeachment Senate trial
White House addresses 'ridiculous' criticism over evidence
White House aides sought to clarify President Donald Trump's comment this week that he and aides "have all the material" in the impeachment case – a suggestion critics took to mean that Trump is hiding evidence from investigators.
"That's a ridiculous allegation," Trump spokesman Hogan Gidley said, adding that Trump was saying "the evidence is all on our side."
During an economic conference in Davos, Switzerland, Trump condemned House impeachment managers and praised his attorneys by saying: "I thought our team did a very good job. But honestly, we have all the material. They don't have the material."
- David Jackson
Milk or water: For senators at Trump impeachment trial, there are only 2 beverage options: milk and water
‘What a whopper’
So what exactly are senators doing at their desks while the hours-long cases for and against impeachment are being made?
Some are nodding off. Some are drinking tall glasses of milk. And some are scribbling down thoughts.
Late during Tuesday’s session, when Trump's lawyer Pat Cipollone described the president as someone who "is a man of his word,” Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, wrote in her notebook:
“What a whopper.”
She relayed the story during a news conference Thursday, adding: “That's not the only time.”
“She didn’t mean a hamburger,” chimed in Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. standing next to her.
Hirono chuckled. “Definitely not.”
- Ledyard King
Schumer: GOP can't have it both ways on 'new' testimony
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that GOP senators’ dismissive claim that they’re hearing no new material during President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial “rings very, very hollow” – considering they’re blocking Democratic efforts to call more witnesses and request more documents.
“The same Republicans saying they heard nothing new just voted nine times on Tuesday to hear nothing new,” Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters during a pretrial news conference. “If they want new stuff, there’s plenty of it.”
Schumer was referring to the amendments Democrats offered during the first day of the trial to allow certain witnesses and records pertaining to the impeachment investigation that are not part of the House’s case. All of the amendments were defeated on a strict partly-line vote in the Republican-controlled chamber, though they could be taken up again at a later time.
Democrats have pointed to Trump’s remarks Wednesday that "we have all the material. They don't have all the material.”
Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman, said Trump wasn't bragging about withholding documents from Democrats, as some lawmakers have said. “What the president was clearly saying was that the evidence was all on our side," Gidley said.
Several GOP senators, including Ted Cruz, R-Texas; John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, on Wednesday bemoaned the repetitive nature of the Democrat’s case during nearly eight hours of oral arguments. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., called it “a rehashing of (Tuesday’s) charade.”
Schumer and other Democrats already shot down a rumored proposal to allow Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton to testify if Joe Biden's son Hunter could as well.
Democrats see Bolton as someone who could help make the case that Trump engaged in a “quid pro quo” with Ukraine. Republicans say Hunter Biden would be forced to answer pointed questions about his role on the board of a Ukrainian energy company key to the impeachment inquiry.
– Ledyard King
Schiff gets applause from an unlikely colleague: Graham
Rep. Adam Schiff, who’s leading the impeachment arguments during the Senate trial, got kudos from an unlikely source: Sen. Lindsey Graham.
"Good job today. Very well-spoken,” Graham, the South Carolina Republican, told Schiff, the California Democrat, late Wednesday during an impromptu meeting between the two near the elevators outside the Senate chamber.
Schiff and his fellow House managers had just wrapped up nearly eight hours of oral arguments when the exchange happened and the two shook hands.
It seemed an unlikely moment give how fiercely both have been regarding impeachment.
Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee chairman, had just been on the floor calling President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign on Ukraine a “gross abuse of power.” Graham, a tenacious Trump defender, had encouraged the president earlier in the day not to cooperate with Schiff, saying: “I wouldn’t give them the time of day.”
– Ledyard King and Savannah Behrmann
Senators can view classified testimony from Pence aide
When they’re not stuck in their seats at the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, senators will have the chance to review classified testimony from an assistant to Vice President Mike Pence that Democrats have unsuccessfully tried to make public.
After Senate Republicans rejected an attempt Tuesday to allow the Senate to receive classified information into evidence, Chief Justice John Roberts late Wednesday announced an agreement to allow classified information into the record. Senators will have to review it in a secure setting.
The information is part of a description of Pence’s Sept. 18 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky given to the committee by Jennifer Williams, a foreign policy adviser to Pence.
Democrats argue the testimony is corroborating evidence and there’s no reason it should be classified.
“Jennifer Williams has classified information to share with you that I hope you'll take a look at because it is relevant to these issues,” House impeachment manager Adam Schiff said.
Pence's office previously refused Democrats’ request to declassifying the information, saying in a Dec. 11 letter that it would serve no purpose.
“This call was classified when it occurred,” Pence spokeswoman Katie Waldman tweeted Wednesday night. “House Democrats knew the call was classified when they allowed and asked Jennifer Williams to discuss a classified call in an unclassified setting. They are now trying to cover their tracks.”
Pence had previously said he had no problem with the White House releasing transcripts of his conversations with Zelensky.
– Maureen Groppe
Trump attacks Democrats in morning tweet storm
Back at the White House after an overseas trip, President Donald Trump didn't waste much time before attacking Democratic prosecutors at the Senate impeachment trial.
"The Democrats are trying hard to damage Republicans prior to the Election!" Trump said during an early morning tweet storm aimed at opponents who have accused him of abuse of power.
Trump also cited pundits who attacked the process, including conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, and singled out Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the lead House impeachment manager, as "Shifty Schiff."
The president, who spent the past two days at an international economic conference in Davos, Switzerland, has no public events on his schedule Thursday.
After a series of private meetings the White House, Trump leaves at mid-day for a trip to Miami; he is scheduled to give a closed-door speech to the Republican National Committee, which is holding its winter meeting at the Trump National Doral golf resort.
Trump is also expected to watch parts of the impeachment trial on television.
– David Jackson
Presidential impeachment: Clinton, Johnson, Nixon test U.S. democracy Presidents have been impeached, but none have been removed from office due to impeachment. Confusing? Here's how. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Constitution, legal grounds for removal will be the focus
House Democrats will continue detailing their case against President Donald Trump as the Senate impeachment trial resumes Thursday and are expected to focus on the Constitution and the legal grounds for the president's removal.
The seven prosecutors, who are called managers, spoke for eight hours Wednesday mostly about the article accusing Trump of abuse of power. They chronicled their evidence about Trump pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival, former vice president Joe Biden, while withholding $391 million in military aid.
“I think it's a gross abuse of power,” said the lead manager, Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif. “And I don't think that the impeachment power is a relic. If it is a relic, I wonder how much longer our Republic can succeed."
On Thursday, the group is expected to focus on the Constitution and lay out the legal framework that they say merits Trump's removal from office. Schiff said the group would "apply the facts to the law as it relates to the president’s abuse of power."
The seven managers will have up to 24 hours spread over three sessions to make their arguments. Then Trump’s defense team, which is led by White House counsel Pat Cipollone and private lawyer Jay Sekulow, will have up to 24 hours over three sessions to rebut the charges or make their own arguments.
'I got four hours sleep': Takeaways from opening arguments in the Trump impeachment Senate trial
Sekulow told reporters that the defense lawyers, during their turn, would first respond to the House charges and then “we are going to make an affirmative case defending the president.”
After hearing the opening arguments, senators will have up to 16 hours to pose written questions to both sides through Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding.
As the arguments got underway, Trump spent Tuesday and Wednesday at an economic conference in Davos, Switzerland. But he will be in Washington Thursday as the trial continues.
Trump criticized the trial and called two of the managers – Schiff and Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. – "major sleazebags" during a news conference Wednesday.
“It’s total hoax. It’s a disgrace. They talked about their tremendous case. They have no case,” Trump said.
Schiff summarized the case over about two hours Wednesday by offering a chronology of the events, documents and testimony that the inquiry collected.
Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., described how Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, smeared Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, before the president removed her. Democrats argued that her removal opened the door to pressuring Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who worked for a Ukraine gas company.
"It is beyond argument that President Trump mounted a sustained pressure campaign to get Ukraine to announce investigations that would benefit him politically, and then tried to cover it up,” Nadler said.
Alexander Hamilton: Schiff opens Trump impeachment trial arguments with a quote from Alexander Hamilton
Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, highlighted how Giuliani's push for investigations benefited Trump personally rather than the national interest.
“Giuliani admitted that he was asking Ukraine to work on investigations that could be ‘very, very helpful’ to the president,” Garcia said.
Rep. Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger, focused on the suspension of military aid for Ukraine while at war with Russia.
"Ukrainian soldiers were manning the front lines against Russian-backed forces illegally occupying their country," said Crow, D-Colo.
Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., described how White House officials dangled the opportunity for Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit the White House – if he announced investigations against the Bidens.
'Pettifogging': Chief Justice John Roberts drops 'pettifogging' bomb while reprimanding both sides in impeachment trial
But former national adviser John Bolton opposed the exchange, deriding it was a "drug deal" cooked up by Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Demings said.
"Mr. Giuliani became an inescapable presence to both Ukrainian officials and American diplomats," Demings said.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., went line by line through the summary of Trump's July 25 call with Zelensky, when the president asked his counterpart to investigate the Bidens.
"These words will live in infamy," Jeffries said of Trump asking for "a favor."
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., walked through the lack of public explanation for why the administration suspended military aid for Ukraine or for why it was released Sept. 11.
“Nothing to justify the president’s change in decision – except he got caught," Lofgren said.
Joe Biden: Ex VP says he would not 'make the deal' to testify in impeachment trial


usatoday--2020-01-24--DOJ acknowledges 'insufficient' cause to monitor former Trump aide Carter Page as suspected Russian

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department acknowledged that it had `` insufficient '' cause to continue wiretaps of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page as part of the bureau 's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election , according to newly released court documents .
In at least two of the four warrant applications filed with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court , Justice conceded that it lacked `` probable cause to believe that Page was acting as an agent '' of Russia , the court revealed in an order posted Thursday .
The new disclosure comes more than a month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identified 17 inaccuracies in requests to wiretap the former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser in 2016 and 2017 .
At the time , investigators believed that Page was allegedly conspiring with the Russian government .
`` The court understands the government to have concluded , in view of the material misstatements and omissions , that the court 's ( surveillance ) authorizations ... were not valid , '' the court order states .
Searing critic of FBI : A new blow to the FBI : Watchdog report details dysfunction , missteps in wiretap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The events that led to the inspector general 's report on the origins of the Russia probe Earlier this month , FBI Director Christopher Wray outlined a series of proposed reforms aimed at bolstering public confidence in sensitive surveillance operations in wake of the damning inspector general 's report .
In the FBI 's package of reforms , ordered by the FISA court , Wray pledged an overhaul of its training program for agents and lawyers to ensure that information used to support future surveillance applications is complete and properly vetted .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , FISA court Judge Rosemary Collyer issued a rare rebuke of the FBI and asserted the bureau had misled the court when seeking permission to wiretap Page .
`` The frequency with which representations made by FBI personnel turned out to be unsupported or contradicted by information in their possession , and with which they withheld information detrimental to their case , calls into question whether information contained in other FBI applications is reliable , '' Collyer wrote .
Although the inspector general debunked claims by President Donald Trump that the Russia investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealed a dysfunctional system in which a team of investigators , handpicked to conduct one of the FBI 's most sensitive investigations , committed `` basic and fundamental errors . ''
The findings , nevertheless , fueled new attacks on the legitimacy of the Russia investigation by Trump and Republican allies who have long accused the FBI of spying on the Trump campaign .
On Thursday , the disclosures by the FISA court brought fresh recriminations from some Trump allies .
`` It ’ s about time federal authorities entrusted with our most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own up to their failures and abuses , and take steps to restore public confidence , '' said Sen. Charles Grassley , R-Iowa , a vocal critic of the FBI .
`` For years , the American people were fed false allegations of Russian collusion based on the FBI ’ s defective FISA warrants , '' he said .
`` We were forced to endure the nearly-two-year spectacle of the unnecessary special counsel investigation because of the warrants , and then forced to foot the bill for it to the tune of $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to sift through competing storylines as so many loud voices continued to push the now-debunked claims while the rest of us demanded accountability . ''
The Russia investigation , led by special counsel Robert Mueller , ultimately found insufficient evidence that the Trump campaign conspired with Russia .
And while Mueller refused to clear Trump of wrongdoing , he said that charging him with obstruction was `` not an option '' because of Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president .

DOJ acknowledges 'insufficient' cause to monitor former Trump aide Carter Page as suspected Russian agent
Show Caption Hide Caption How Russian interference could affect the 2020 election, too Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election and helped Donald Trump win. We look back at history and ask: Will they do it again? Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department acknowledged that it had "insufficient" cause to continue wiretaps of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page as part of the bureau's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to newly released court documents.
In at least two of the four warrant applications filed with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, Justice conceded that it lacked "probable cause to believe that Page was acting as an agent" of Russia, the court revealed in an order posted Thursday.
The new disclosure comes more than a month after the Justice Department's inspector general identified 17 inaccuracies in requests to wiretap the former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser in 2016 and 2017. At the time, investigators believed that Page was allegedly conspiring with the Russian government.
"The court understands the government to have concluded, in view of the material misstatements and omissions, that the court's (surveillance) authorizations...were not valid," the court order states.
Searing critic of FBI: A new blow to the FBI: Watchdog report details dysfunction, missteps in wiretap of Trump aide
Page inquiry timeline: The events that led to the inspector general's report on the origins of the Russia probe
The Justice Department declined comment Thursday.
Earlier this month, FBI Director Christopher Wray outlined a series of proposed reforms aimed at bolstering public confidence in sensitive surveillance operations in wake of the damning inspector general's report.
In the FBI's package of reforms, ordered by the FISA court, Wray pledged an overhaul of its training program for agents and lawyers to ensure that information used to support future surveillance applications is complete and properly vetted.
After the inspector general's report was released, FISA court Judge Rosemary Collyer issued a rare rebuke of the FBI and asserted the bureau had misled the court when seeking permission to wiretap Page.
"The frequency with which representations made by FBI personnel turned out to be unsupported or contradicted by information in their possession, and with which they withheld information detrimental to their case, calls into question whether information contained in other FBI applications is reliable," Collyer wrote.
Although the inspector general debunked claims by President Donald Trump that the Russia investigation was motivated by political bias, it revealed a dysfunctional system in which a team of investigators, handpicked to conduct one of the FBI's most sensitive investigations, committed "basic and fundamental errors."
The findings, nevertheless, fueled new attacks on the legitimacy of the Russia investigation by Trump and Republican allies who have long accused the FBI of spying on the Trump campaign.
On Thursday, the disclosures by the FISA court brought fresh recriminations from some Trump allies.
"It’s about time federal authorities entrusted with our most powerful and intrusive surveillance tools begin to own up to their failures and abuses, and take steps to restore public confidence," said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, a vocal critic of the FBI.
"For years, the American people were fed false allegations of Russian collusion based on the FBI’s defective FISA warrants," he said. "We were forced to endure the nearly-two-year spectacle of the unnecessary special counsel investigation because of the warrants, and then forced to foot the bill for it to the tune of $35 million. And we were left to sift through competing storylines as so many loud voices continued to push the now-debunked claims while the rest of us demanded accountability."
The Russia investigation, led by special counsel Robert Mueller, ultimately found insufficient evidence that the Trump campaign conspired with Russia. And while Mueller refused to clear Trump of wrongdoing, he said that charging him with obstruction was "not an option" because of Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.