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Washington (CNN) - Political trial charges against President Donald Trump are expected to be approved in the House of Representatives before the end of the week, less than three months after House President Nancy Pelosi announced a formal investigation of political judgment.
This is how things will go:
- New survey reveals that 50% of the US is in favor of the political trial against Trump
Voting in the House of Representatives
Two charges of political trial are directed to the full House for a vote. If a simple majority votes to approve any article, Trump will become the third president formally in political trial: President Richard Nixon resigned after the votes advanced in the House Judicial Commission but before they could reach the full.
The House of Representatives has not yet set a specific date for the political trial vote, but two Democratic leadership advisers said it could happen on Wednesday.
What do the charges say?
The first political trial charge accuses Trump of abusing his post by pressing Ukraine to investigate his political rivals and withhold US security assistance. UU. and a meeting at the White House. The second charge accuses him of obstructing the investigation into his misconduct by blocking witnesses and disobeying subpoenas.
Imminent Senate Trial
If the articles are approved in the House of Representatives as expected, the Senate led by the Republicans will conduct a trial chaired by the president of the Supreme Court, who is currently John Roberts, a representative of George W. Bush who He has played a fundamental role.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer made it clear in a letter to the majority leader, Mitch McConnell, on Sunday night that he prefers a trial of political trial with witnesses and new documents, a direct rebuttal to top-notch Republicans who have argued in recent days that a shorter trial without witnesses would prevent the Senate from becoming a partisan circus.
Schumer asked for at least four witnesses, including the interim secretary of the White House, Mick Mulvaney, the former national security advisor John Bolton, the chief advisor to the interim secretary of the White House Robert Blair and the official of the Administration Office and Michael Duffey budget.
Schumer's letter echoes the comments that the president of the Intelligence Commission of the House of Representatives, Adam Schiff, made last Sunday when he declared that he would like some witnesses to be called during the political trial trial in the Senate.
In response to Schumer's letter, McConnell spokesman David Popp said: “Leader McConnell has made it clear that he plans to meet with leader Schumer soon to discuss the outlines of a trial. That timeline has not changed. ”
The White House is still planning its trial strategy in the Senate and is considering whether or not to call witnesses, which may lengthen the trial. Trump said earlier Sunday that "I would not mind a lengthy process because I would like to see the complainant, who is a fraud."
The politics of the trial
When Justin Amash became the only Republican in Congress to support the political trial, even before the Ukrainian scandal broke out, he was essentially expelled from the party. Now that he is independent, it is said that Amash could join the Democrats to lead Trump's prosecution in the Senate, although it is still very unlikely.
Don't get confused, Amash is not progressive. And it opposes the platform of the Democrats in almost all aspects that are not of political judgment. But in the United States today it seems as if Republicans and Democrats, Liberals and Conservatives have mixed into new categories. Trump team or political trial team. Politicians are mutating before our eyes, changing their skin, like Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. They adapt to the party or fade away.
There is more evidence with Rep. Jeff Van Drew, the New Jersey Democrat of a disputed district who, after announcing that he opposed the trial, is now expected to announce that he is no longer a Democrat.
Both Amash and Van Drew represent highly contested House districts, which speaks of the fact that this accusation will have an effect in November not only in the White House, but also in the House of Representatives. We just don't know what the effect will be. In the polls, there are more people who support the trial than those who don't, but again, Trump is president even though more people voted for someone else.
The only thing we know for sure is that it seems that in none of the parties there is room for anything other than the partisan line.
The last
The role of Amash: It is “highly unlikely” that Pelosi names Amash as one of the administrators of the political trial, according to a House of Representatives official.
"It is very unlikely that the president will take this type of risk when she has so many qualified members who cry out for a place," an official close to the political trial investigation told CNN.
A group of new Democrats urged Pelosi to recruit Amash as one of the administrators of the political trial. Amash retreat to the lonely summer of Amash from Haley Byrd of CNN.
How does Trump face the trial ?: The president's current net favorable rating has remained stable in the south of at least 10 points over the past few months. According to this metric, it seems that the Ukrainian scandal has not hurt him politically.
More on the expected Senate trial ...
The president of the Judicial Commission of the House of Representatives, Jerry Nadler, criticized McConnell on Sunday after the Kentucky Republican said he would coordinate with the White House lawyer on “everything” regarding the likely political trial in the Senate .
Nadler said that the collaboration of the Republican leadership in the Senate with the president during a political trial would be a "subversion of the constitutional order."
“The Constitution prescribes a special oath for senators when they participate in a political trial. They have to commit to fair justice, and here you have the majority leader of the Senate, in effect, the president of the jury, saying that they will work hand in hand with the defense lawyer, ”Nadler said Sunday during an interview with“ This Week "From ABC.
According to the Constitution, it is up to the House of Representatives to accuse the president for political trial and the Senate, condemn or acquit him, which makes the senators, including McConnell, the de facto jury.
CNN previously reported that McConnell and White House lawyer Pat Cipollone discussed plans to coordinate a strategy for a political trial in the Senate during closed meetings last week.
While speaking in Frankfort, Kentucky, on Friday, McConnell pointed to the fact that the Senate Democrats who coordinated with then-President Bill Clinton during his political trial proceedings.
"It was also done during Clinton's political trial," he said. “It is not surprising that President Clinton and the Senate Democrats were coordinating his strategy. We are on the same side. ”
"I am not trying to pretend to be a fair jury"
In a series of striking comments this weekend, Graham said he will do everything in his power to quickly end the likely political trial in the Senate.
"This thing will come to the Senate, and it will die quickly, and I will do my best to die quickly," said the Republican of South Carolina in an interview with CNN's Becky Anderson at the Doha Forum in Qatar.
When asked if it was appropriate to express his opinion before the accusation reached the Senate, Graham replied: "Well, I must think about it because I am doing it."
“I am trying to give a fairly clear signal that I have made a decision. I'm not trying to pretend to be a fair jury, "Graham said, adding:" What I see coming, what happens today is just partisan nonsense. "
Five employees resign from Van Drew's office
Five Van Drew assistants resigned on Sunday as the legislator prepares to switch to the Republican Party, according to a signed resignation letter obtained by CNN.
The assistants - Javier Gamboa, Edward Kaczmarski, Justin M. O'Leary, Mackenzie Lucas and Caroline Wood - wrote in the letter that "they can no longer, in good conscience, continue our service to the employee of the congressman."
"We greatly appreciate the opportunities that the congressman has given us, and we are proud of the work we have done together on behalf of the people of the Second District of the New Jersey Congress," the letter said. "Unfortunately, the decision of Congressman Van Drew to join the ranks of the Republican Party led by (President) Donald Trump does not align with the values we bring to this work when we join his office."
The resignations occur when Van Drew has told his colleagues about his intentions to change parties, according to two sources.
Remember: Van Drew was one of two Democrats who in October voted against formalizing the political trial investigation and announced earlier this month that he would vote against all the articles of political trial in the House.
While his change of party is a symbolic boost for Trump, the move is unlikely to change the outcome of the full House of Representatives vote.
The surveys remain constant
A new Fox News poll reveals that 50% of voters across the country want Trump to be prosecuted and removed from office, unchanged from a poll in late October.
Another 4% say Trump should be prosecuted but not dismissed, and 41% completely oppose the political trial.
Some notable findings in the survey by Jennifer Agiesta of CNN:
Regardless of their views on the political trial, 53% of voters say Trump abuses his power, 48% say he obstructed Congress and 45% say he committed bribery. 60% say it is wrong for Trump to ask the leaders of foreign countries to investigate his political rivals. Registered voters are divided on whether Democrats in Congress are conducting a fair trial investigation, 45% say yes, 42% do not. The approval rating of the president in the survey is 45% approves 53% disapproves, a slight improvement from 42% in October approves 57% disapproves.
Trump tweeted on Sunday that the Fox News polls are "always inaccurate" and "very charged to the Democrats" without providing any evidence of their claims.
Political judgment