House launches Trump impeachment inquiry

By Veronica Rocha, Fernando Alfonso III, Meg Wagner, Mike Hayes and Amanda Wills, CNN

Updated 10:40 a.m. ET, September 26, 2019
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9:37 a.m. ET, September 25, 2019

200 House Democrats are now calling for an impeachment inquiry into Trump

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

As President Trump has been openly feuding with House Democrats pursuing investigations into him, his administration and his finances, more than 200 lawmakers -- almost entirely Democrats -- are calling to start an impeachment inquiry, the first step in a lengthy and likely divisive process.

There has been a surge in support of launching an inquiry amid a growing controversy over Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky where he discussed former Vice President Joe Biden. On Tuesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry into the President, and the number of House Democrats who at least support launching an impeachment inquiry is quickly approaching the 218 votes needed to impeach Trump in the House, though it is unknown if all those who are in favor of an impeachment inquiry will vote to do so.

CNN previously reported that Trump pressed Zelensky to investigate Biden's son, Hunter, according to a person familiar with the situation, and that call was part of the whistleblower complaint submitted to the Intelligence Community Inspector General, another person familiar with the situation told CNN. Trump has admitted he delayed aid to Ukraine ahead of the call, but has denied doing anything improper.

There has been no evidence of wrongdoing by either Joe or Hunter Biden.

Many Democratic lawmakers had previously opened the door to impeachment proceedings after testimony from former special counsel Robert Mueller before Congress in July. More than four dozen House Democrats came out publicly in support of an impeachment inquiry following Mueller's appearance -- including House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel of New York and House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler.

Impeachment appears politically risky for Democrats for many reasons, not least of which is that even if the House could get a majority to support impeachment, it likely would go nowhere in the Republican-controlled Senate. 

While there are varying degrees of how far critics of the President are willing to push the process, one relatively basic litmus test is whether lawmakers would support starting an impeachment inquiry, the first significant step in the process.

9:29 a.m. ET, September 25, 2019

Ukraine president posts photo with Trump, says he's looking forward to their meeting today

From CNN’s Mary Ilyushina and Nathan Hodge

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a picture with President Trump and first lady Melania Trump from yesterday’s UN reception.

He said he had a brief interaction with Trump yesterday and is going to continue talking with the US President “in the working mode” today.

Zelensky is scheduled to meet with Trump at 2:15 p.m. ET at the United Nations.

 Here's the translation of his tweet: “Had a chat yesterday with @RealDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS at the official reception with the US President and First Lady. Today we’ll continue in the working mode!” 

9:36 a.m. ET, September 25, 2019

Here's what's happening when today

President Trump is at the United Nations as the House gets moving on its impeachment inquiry. Here are the most important events we are watching today.

  • 11:20 a.m. ET: Mitt Romney, one of the few Republicans who has spoken out about the Trump Ukraine drama, is speaking in DC
  • 1 p.m. ET: The House votes on a resolution demanding that the Trump administration release the whistleblower complaint involving the president and Ukraine to Congress.
  • 2:15 p.m. ET: President Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
  • 4 p.m. ET: President Trump holds a news conference in New York City
9:06 a.m. ET, September 25, 2019

A timeline of how the Clinton impeachment went down

Margie Phelps of Topeka, Kansas, carries signs calling for the impeachment of US President Bill Clinton in December 1998
Margie Phelps of Topeka, Kansas, carries signs calling for the impeachment of US President Bill Clinton in December 1998 PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

Bill Clinton was the latest US president to face impeachment. Here's a timeline of that process:

8:45 a.m. ET, September 25, 2019

House intel chair: This is "the most serious misconduct of the President thus far"

Rep. Adam Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said he sees the Ukraine scandal as the “most serious misconduct" of Trump's presidency so far.

"I do see this as the most serious misconduct of the President thus far, and that comes after a long history of other very serious misconduct," he told CNN this morning.

Schiff said he wants to get "the full facts" before deciding to impeach the President. (Remember: Democrats have announced a formal impeachment inquiry, but have not yet begun possible impeachment.)

"There's certainly enough to launch a formal impeachment inquiry. And at the end of the day, they may be enough to impeach the President. But we need to get the full facts first," he said.

8:28 a.m. ET, September 25, 2019

At least 200 House members support the Trump impeachment inquiry

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Of the 235 Democrats in the House, there are at least 199 — according to a CNN count — who've made clear they support starting the impeachment inquiry process, while some have gone further.

Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a former Republican who has since become an independent, has also called for impeachment proceedings, bringing the total number of representatives to 200.

You can see the full whip count here.

8:08 a.m. ET, September 25, 2019

Ukrainian president: "Nobody can put pressure on me"

From CNN’s Mary Ilyushina in Moscow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said “nobody can put pressure on me” when asked if President Trump pressed him to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden’s son in a controversial July 25 phone call. 

“Nobody can put pressure on me, because I’m the president of an independent Ukraine,” Zelensky said late Tuesday.

He continued: “There is only one person that can pressure me, and it’s my 6-year old son.”

Asked whether he intends to ask Trump for anything in an expected one-on-one meeting Wednesday, Zelensky said: “I can say once again that we can talk about support, but we are not asking for anything, Ukraine is a new, powerful country that isn’t asking anybody for anything, we can help others ourselves."  

7:59 a.m. ET, September 25, 2019

The impeachment process can take months

From CNN's Zachary B. Wolf

The Clinton impeachment trial on the Senate floor on February 12, 1999.
The Clinton impeachment trial on the Senate floor on February 12, 1999.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has not given a timeframe for this process but she told her colleagues it would be done "expeditiously," and Rep. Jerry Nadler, the current chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has hoped to conclude it by the end of the year.

This process can take months:

  • For Andrew Johnson, the entire process lasted 94 days, from first congressional action to Senate acquittal, from February 22, 1868 to May 26, 1868.
  • For Richard Nixon, it lasted 184 days. The House approved the impeachment inquiry on February 6, 1974 and Nixon announced his resignation on August 8, 1974.
  • For Bill Clinton, it lasted 127 days. The House approved the impeachment inquiry on October 8, 1998, and the Senate acquitted him on February 12, 1999.
7:49 a.m. ET, September 25, 2019

Some Democrats worry Pelosi may have acted too soon on impeachment

From CNN's Lauren Fox

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi held off on impeachment for months — but now some Democrats are worried the Speaker may have acted days too soon.

Several Democratic aides say that some in the caucus are quietly expressing reservations that Pelosi’s announcement came before the transcript of the July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukraine’s President was released and before Congress received the whistleblower’s complaint.

Many of the moderate members who have come out in support for impeachment have made their support conditional: If it is true Trump withheld military funding to Ukraine in order to elicit dirt on a political opponent, then it is impeachable.

But, Pelosi’s announcement yesterday caught some by surprise even as members were racing to come out in support of impeachment. A senior Democratic aide with insight into moderate Democratic thinking told CNN that many members preferred for Pelosi to wait until the end of the week when the contents of the complaint and transcript were fully known. 

Another Democratic aide said there is grumbling about what happens if the transcript and report are not the “smoking guns that everyone is hyping them to be.”