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Impeachment of Donald Trump, 2019-2020

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Donald Trump was impeached twice. This page covers the first impeachment. Click here for information on the second impeachment, which took place in 2021.

On February 5, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) was acquitted of abuse of power by a vote of 52-48 and obstruction of Congress by a vote of 53-47.[1]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) first announced the House would pursue an inquiry into Trump on September 24, 2019, following allegations that Trump requested the Ukrainian government investigate former Vice President Joe Biden (D) and his son, Hunter Biden, in exchange for aid.[2]

Trump denied the allegations and called the inquiry "the worst witch hunt in political history."[3][4]

Following weeks of public hearings, the House voted to impeach Trump on December 18, 2019, charging him with abuse of power by a vote of 230-197 and obstruction of Congress by a vote of 229-198.[5] For a breakdown of the U.S. House votes by representative and party, click here.[6]

The trial began on January 16, 2020, after seven impeachment managers from the U.S. House of Representatives presented the two articles of impeachment to the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was the only Republican to vote guilty on the abuse of power charge, becoming the first senator in U.S. history to vote to convict a president from his own party in an impeachment trial. The vote on obstruction of Congress ran along party lines.[1]

For an overview and timeline of the impeachment trial proceedings, click here.

This page contains an overview of the following topics:

Overview of impeachment

See also: Impeachment of federal officials

The United States Congress has the constitutional authority to impeach and remove a federal official from office—including the president—if he or she has committed an impeachable offense. Impeaching and removing an official has two stages. First, articles of impeachment against the official must be passed by a majority vote of the U.S. House of Representatives. Then, a trial is conducted in the United States Senate potentially leading to the conviction and removal of the official.[7]

In most impeachment trials, the vice president presides over the trial. However, in impeachment trials of the president, the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court presides. In order to remove the person from office, two-thirds of senators that are present to vote must vote to convict on the articles of impeachment.[7]

Process for impeachment and conviction

The following two charts show the process for impeachment, which begins in the U.S. House with the introduction of an impeachment resolution and a committee inquiry conducted by the United States House Committee on the Judiciary. If the committee adopts articles of impeachment against the official, the articles will go to a full floor vote in the U.S. House.

Congress Impeachment - US House.png


When articles of impeachment are adopted by the U.S. House, the process moves to the U.S. Senate where senators will either acquit or convict the official following a trial.

Congress Impeachment - US Senate.png

Trial in U.S. Senate

Impeachment managers

The House delivered two impeachment articles to the Senate on January 15, 2020. The following seven representatives were named impeachment managers on the same day:[8][9]

  • Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee
  • Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee
  • Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), member of the House Judiciary Committee
  • Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus
  • Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), member of the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees
  • Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.)
  • Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas)

Trump's defense attorneys

The following attorneys are members of Trump's defense team:[10]

  • Pat Cipollone, White House counsel
  • Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice,
  • Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School professor
  • Kenneth Starr, former independent counsel
  • Robert Ray, former independent counsel
  • Mike Purpura, deputy White House counsel
  • Patrick Philbin, deputy White House counsel
  • Pam Bondi, former Florida attorney general

Trial procedure

Chief Justice John Roberts was sworn in as the presiding officer of the trial on January 16, 2020. Ninety-nine U.S. senators—Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) was not present—were also sworn in.[11] Inhofe was later sworn in on January 21, 2020, when the trial proceedings continued.[12]

On January 22, 2020, the Senate adopted trial rules by a party-line vote of 53-47.[13]

Trial timeline

This list provides a timeline of the trial proceedings, a link to a recording of each session, and brief summary of the session's activity.

  • January 16, 2020: Chief Justice John Roberts and the U.S. senators were sworn in as the presiding officer and jurors.
  • January 21, 2020: The House impeachment managers and the president's attorneys debated the proposed rules for the trial.
  • January 22, 2020: The House impeachment managers delivered opening arguments in the trial.
  • January 23, 2020: The House impeachment managers continued to deliver opening arguments in the trial.
  • January 24, 2020: The House impeachment managers continued to deliver opening arguments in the trial.
  • January 25, 2020: The president's defense attorneys presented opening arguments in the trial.
  • January 27, 2020: The president's defense attorneys continued to deliver opening arguments in the trial.
  • January 28, 2020: The president's defense attorneys continued to deliver opening arguments in the trial.
  • January 29, 2020: The president's defense attorneys and House impeachment managers responded to questions submitted by the senators.
  • January 30, 2020: The president's defense attorneys and House impeachment managers responded to questions submitted by the senators.
  • January 31, 2020: The Senate debated and rejected a motion to allow witnesses and documents to be subpoenaed.
  • February 3, 2020: The House impeachment managers and president's defense attorneys gave closing arguments.
  • February 5, 2020: The Senate voted to acquit the president on both charges.

U.S. Senate vote to acquit on charge of abuse of power

On February 5, 2020, the U.S. Senate voted to acquit Trump by a vote of 52 to 48.

  • All 45 Democrats and two independents (Sens. Angus King and Bernie Sanders) voted guilty.
  • 1 Republican (Sen. Mitt Romney) also voted guilty.
  • The other 52 Republicans voted not guilty.

U.S. Senate vote to acquit on charge of obstruction of Congress

On February 5, 2020, the U.S. Senate voted to acquit Trump of obstruction of Congress by a vote of 53 to 47.

  • All 45 Democrats and two independents (Sens. Angus King and Bernie Sanders) voted guilty.
  • All 53 Republicans voted not guilty.

U.S. Senate vote on witnesses

On January 31, 2020, the U.S. Senate rejected a motion to allow witnesses and documents to be subpoenaed by a vote of 51 to 49.

U.S. House vote on articles of impeachment

Abuse of power

On December 18, 2019, the House impeached Trump for abuse of power by a vote of 230 to 197.


Obstruction of Congress

On December 18, 2019, the House impeached Trump for obstruction of Congress by a vote of 229 to 198.



Impeachment inquiry procedures

On October 29, 2019, Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.) introduced H. Res. 660, a House resolution outlining proposed impeachment inquiry procedures.

The resolution included specific instructions for the Intelligence Committee and the Judiciary Committee. Key procedures outlined in the resolution included the following:

  • The Intelligence Committee would make public transcripts of private depositions available with redactions where necessary for classified and sensitive information.
  • The chairman and ranking minority member of the Intelligence Committee would have an equal amount of time to question witnesses.
  • The ranking minority member could request subpoenas and documents with the chairman's approval.
  • The Judiciary Committee would be responsible for bringing forward articles of impeachment, if any.
  • Trump and his counsel would be able to participate in the Judiciary Committee proceedings.

On October 31, 2019, the House of Representatives approved the resolution by a vote of 232-196. The vote ran primarily along party lines. No Republicans supported the measure. Two Democrats opposed it: Reps. Jeff Van Drew (D-N.J.) and Collin Peterson (D-Minn.). Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.), the only independent in the chamber, supported the resolution.[1]

The full text of the resolution follows:

Articles of impeachment

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced two articles of impeachment against Trump on December 10, 2019.

Nadler summarized the articles in the following statement:[14]

“

The first article is for Abuse of Power. It is an impeachable offense for the President to exercise the powers of his public office to obtain an improper personal benefit, while ignoring or injuring the national interest.

That is exactly what President Trump did when he solicited and pressured Ukraine to interfere in our 2020 Presidential Election—thus damaging our national security, undermining the integrity of the next election, and violating his oath to the American people. These actions, moreover, were consistent with President Trump’s previous invitations of foreign interference in our 2016 Presidential election.

And when he was caught—when the House investigated and opened an impeachment inquiry—President Trump engaged in unprecedented, categorical, and indiscriminate defiance of the impeachment inquiry.

This gives rise to the second article of impeachment for Obstruction of Congress. Here, too, we see a familiar pattern in President Trump’s misconduct. A President who declares himself above accountability, above the American people, and above Congress’s power of impeachment—which is meant to protect against threats to our democratic institutions—is a President who sees himself as above the law.[15]

”
—Jerrold Nadler, December 10, 2019[14]

Read the full text of the articles here:

Reports

The Trump-Ukraine Impeachment Inquiry Report

The House Intelligence Committee voted on December 3, 2019, to adopt a committee report on Trump's alleged misconduct and obstruction and send it to the House Judiciary Committee. The 13-9 vote ran along party lines.[16]

Republicans released a minority report on the impeachment inquiry on December 2, 2019.[17]

Timeline of public hearings and witnesses

This section includes video clips and transcripts from public hearings held during the impeachment inquiry in chronological order.

November 13, 2019

Witnesses

  • William Taylor, U.S. diplomat
  • George Kent, deputy assistant secretary of state

Transcripts and videos

Bill Taylor's opening statement, November 13, 2019
George Kent's opening statement, November 13, 2019

November 15, 2019

Witnesses

  • Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine

Transcripts and videos

Marie Yovanovitch's opening statement, November 15, 2019

November 19, 2019

Witnesses

  • Alexander Vindman, director for European Affairs at the U.S. National Security Council
  • Jennifer Williams, U.S. Department of State official
  • Kurt Volker, U.S. special envoy to Ukraine
  • Tim Morrison, National Security Council aide

Transcripts and videos

Alexander Vindman's opening statement, November 19, 2019
Jennifer Williams' opening statement, November 19, 2019
Kurt Volker's opening statement, November 19, 2019
Tim Morrison's opening statement, November 19, 2019

November 20, 2019

Witnesses

  • Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union
  • Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian affairs
  • David Hale, under secretary of state for political affairs

Transcripts and videos

Gordon Sondland's opening statement, November 20, 2019
Laura Cooper's opening statement, November 20, 2019

November 21, 2019

Witnesses

  • Fiona Hill, former National Security Council official
  • David Holmes, U.S. Department of State official

Transcripts and videos

Fiona Hill's opening statement, November 21, 2019
David Holmes' opening statement, November 21, 2019

December 4, 2019

The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the constitutional grounds for presidential impeachment.[18]

Witnesses

  • Noah Feldman, Harvard Law School professor
  • Pamela Karlan, Stanford Law School professor
  • Michael Gerhardt, University of Noth Carolina School of Law professor
  • Jonathan Turley, George Washington University Law School professor

Transcripts and videos

December 9, 2019

The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the evidence presented in the impeachment inquiry.[19]

Transcrips and videos

Public opinion

The following chart shows the average percentage of support and opposition to impeachment over time, according to public opinion polls compiled by RealClearPolitics.

Additional resources

Read more about the details of the impeachment inquiry and process in the following articles:

Which presidents have been impeached?

See also: Impeachment of federal officials

This section provides a brief history of the impeachment of presidents. Of the other three presidents who have had articles of impeachment against them adopted, two were acquitted by the U.S. Senate and one resigned before the full U.S. House vote took place.

Andrew Johnson

On February 24, 1868, President Andrew Johnson (Union) became the first sitting president to be impeached. Following Congress' passage of the Tenure of Office Act forbidding the president from removing federal officials without the approval of Congress, Johnson fired Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and replaced him with Ulysses S. Grant. Johnson hoped to challenge the constitutionality of the Act.

The House charged him with violating the Act and passed an impeachment resolution 126-47. Johnson was acquitted by the Senate on May 16, 1868, by a vote of 35-19, one vote short of two-thirds. Seven Republican senators broke ranks with the party to prevent Johnson's conviction.[20]

Richard Nixon

Three articles of impeachment for obstruction of justice, misuse of power, and contempt of Congress were approved by the House Judiciary Committee against President Richard Nixon (R) in July 1974. The charges followed Nixon's involvement in covering up the attempted burglary and wiretapping of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at Watergate two years earlier.

Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974, before the articles of impeachment went to a full floor vote in the House.[21]

Bill Clinton

President William Jefferson Clinton (D) was impeached by the U.S. House on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice on December 19, 1998. The first article of impeachment for perjury passed the House by a vote of 228-206, while the second vote on obstruction of justice passed by 221-212. The charges stemmed from an affair Clinton had with White House staffer Monica Lewinski. House Republicans accused Clinton of lying and having others lie to hide the affair. Two other charges, perjury in regards to an affair with Paula Jones and abuse of power, were rejected by the House.[22]

With 708 days remaining in his second term as president, the Senate acquitted Clinton on both charges brought up by the House on February 12, 1999. The perjury charge failed by a vote of 45-55 while the obstruction of justice charge failed on a tied vote of 50-50.[23]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 CNN, "Trump acquitted at impeachment trial," February 5, 2020 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "CNN" defined multiple times with different content
  2. ↑ CBS News, "Pelosi launches formal Trump impeachment inquiry," September 25, 2019
  3. ↑ White House, "Remarks by President Trump and President Salih of Iraq Before Bilateral Meeting," September 24, 2019
  4. ↑ Associated Press, "The Latest: Democrats say Trump allegations are impeachable," September 24, 2019
  5. ↑ NBC News, "Trump impeached by the House for abuse of power, obstruction of Congress," December 18, 2019
  6. ↑ NBC News, "House Judiciary Committee votes to impeach Trump, capping damaging testimony," December 13, 2019
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Congressional Research Service, "Impeachment and removal," October 29, 2015
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Deliver
  9. ↑ CBS News, "What to know about the House impeachment managers," January 15, 2020
  10. ↑ Reuters, "Factbox: The members of Trump's impeachment defense team," January 27, 2020
  11. ↑ NPR, "Senators To Be Sworn In For Trump Impeachment Trial," January 16, 2020
  12. ↑ KTUL, "Sen. Inhofe comments on Senate impeachment trial," January 21, 2020
  13. ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Res.483 - A resolution to provide for related procedures concerning the articles of impeachment against Donald John Trump, President of the United States," accessed January 22, 2020
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 House Committee on Oversight and Reform, "Chairman Nadler Announces the Introduction of Articles of Impeachment Against President Donald J. Trump," December 10, 2019
  15. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  16. ↑ CNN, "House Democrats vote to send impeachment report to Judiciary Committee," December 3, 2019
  17. ↑ NPR, "House Democrats' New Report: Top Trump Officials Knew Of Ukraine Scheme," December 3, 2019
  18. ↑ House Judiciary Committee, "Committee Activity," accessed November 26, 2019
  19. ↑ House Judiciary Committee, "The Impeachment Inquiry into President Donald J. Trump: Presentations from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and House Judiciary Committee," December 9, 2019
  20. ↑ PBS, "The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson," accessed March 27, 2014
  21. ↑ History, "The Watergate Scandal: A Timeline," June 10, 2019
  22. ↑ New York Times, "IMPEACHMENT: THE OVERVIEW -- CLINTON IMPEACHED; HE FACES A SENATE TRIAL, 2D IN HISTORY; VOWS TO DO JOB TILL TERM'S 'LAST HOUR'," December 22, 1998
  23. ↑ Washington Post, "The Senate Acquits President Clinton," February 13, 1999
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