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The Democrats are expected to announce the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump today, Tuesday, December 10, 2019. You can watch the announcement live online below, beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern. After this, the next steps will be a markup of the articles and a vote in the House.
The Articles of Impeachment Will Be Announced at 9 AM Eastern
The articles of impeachment are expected to be announced by House Democrats at 9 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, December 10. The time was announced late on Monday night. The announcement will be made in the Rayburn Room by the Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary Jerry Nadler, the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Adam Schiff, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel, the Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee Maxine Waters, and the Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Carolyn Maloney. They will also be discussing the next steps in the impeachment inquiry.
The live stream below is provided by Fox 10 Phoenix.
Here is a copy of the official announcement that was released about the press conference.
It’s official: Press conference set for 9AM to unveil articles of impeachment. pic.twitter.com/AuH8RaBBN0
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) December 10, 2019
People familiar with the impeachment inquiry told NBC News on Monday night that House Democrats would be bringing two articles of impeachment: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. But, they said, this was not a final announcement until the official press conference on Tuesday morning, so details could still change. The Hill reported that there was still a chance as of Monday night that a third article might be added. A markup of the articles might happen Wednesday or Thursday. According to Politico, the markup stage is the last step before the House formally votes on impeachment.
Meanwhile, Republican Doug Collins said on Monday that the entire impeachment was a “scam” and he referred to the proceedings as a “rubber stamp.”
Other sources have said that a full House vote on the articles of impeachment could happen as early as next week.
BREAKING: Initial language for articles of impeachment could be released as early as tomorrow. Full House vote could be as early as next week. Trump will be impeached.
The Next Steps
The next step in the impeachment process would be a House vote after a formal inquiry and the markup. The Constitution only allows impeachment on the grounds of “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”
Articles of impeachment are drawn up, which are essentially formal allegations against the President. The House then votes on these allegations. In order for a sitting President to be impeached, the House must pass the articles of impeachment by a simple majority.
If all 435 House members vote on the articles of impeachment, they would need 218 votes for a majority to be reached and for Trump to be impeached. There are 235 Democrats in office in the House, one Independent, and 199 Republicans, Reuters explained. That’s more than enough to reach the simple majority needed if all Democrats voted for impeachment.
Things get more difficult after this point. The Senate will try the accused next, and the Chief Justice of the United States presides over the proceedings. Actual conviction and removal require a 2/3 vote in the Senate. This is why removal is unlikely. A total of 67 Senators would need to vote to convict and remove Trump. There are 45 Democrat Senators and 53 Republican Senators, plus two Independents who typically vote Democrat. So to reach the 67 total needed to remove Trump, they would need at least 20 Republicans to join with Democrats in voting to remove Trump (plus the two Independents).