WTF Just Happened Today

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

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1/ The House of Representatives voted to send the Senate two articles of impeachment against Trump, initiating the third presidential impeachment trial in American history. The measure passed 228-to-193 with one Democrat – Collin Peterson of Minnesota – joining every Republican in voting "no." Speaker Nancy Pelosi also announced the seven House Democrats who will serve as the "managers" in the trial, saying "The emphasis is on making the strongest possible case to protect and defend our Constitution to seek the truth for the American people." The two articles, charging abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, will be hand-delivered to the Senate with the trial expected to begin on Tuesday. It remains undecided if witnesses will be called to testify. Trump, meanwhile, tweeted that his impeachment is a "Con Job." (New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Politico / CNN / CNBC / NBC News)

• A step-by-step guide to what happens when the House sends the impeachment articles to the Senate. (CNN / Washington Post)

• Who are the impeachment managers prosecuting the case against Trump in the Senate trial? House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler will lead the House team, joined by Jason Crow, Val Demings, Sylvia Garcia, Hakeem Jeffries, and Zoe Lofgren (Washington Post / Politico / NBC News / Bloomberg / CNBC / Wall Street Journal)

2/ Rudy Giuliani requested a private meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky – then the president-elect of Ukraine – with Trump's "knowledge and consent," according to new documents released by House Democrats. The documents contains several handwritten notes, emails, encrypted messages, and text messages that show how Giuliani associate, Lev Parnas, tried to set up a meeting between Giuliani and Zelensky, as well as efforts to "Get Zelensky to announce that the Biden case will be investigated." The documents also show that before Marie Yovanovitch, the then-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, was removed from her post, a P...

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