The latest on President Trump's impeachment

By Mike Hayes, Meg Wagner and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 8:09 p.m. ET, December 20, 2019

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8:39 a.m. ET, December 20, 2019

Trump says evangelical magazine calling for his removal is "far left"

President Trump accused a Christian magazine, which published an op-ed calling for him to be impeached, of being "far left" and not having links to the family of the magazine's founder, the late evangelist Billy Graham.

"A far left magazine, or very “progressive,” as some would call it, which has been doing poorly and hasn’t been involved with the Billy Graham family for many years," Trump wrote on Twitter.

"Christianity Today, knows nothing about reading a perfect transcript of a routine phone call."

Christianity Today's editor in chief, Mark Galli, called for Trump's impeachment on moral grounds in the op-ed.

"That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments," Galli wrote.

The publication, an influential one among evangelicals, has criticized Trump before on immigration and other issues, but never before called for his removal.

7:27 a.m. ET, December 20, 2019

Evangelical publication calls for Trump's removal from office

From Caroline Kelly, John Blake and Daniel Burke, CNN

A leading Christian magazine founded by late evangelist Billy Graham -- father of key presidential supporter Franklin Graham -- published an op-ed on Thursday calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office and urging evangelicals not to support him.

"Whether Mr. Trump should be removed from office by the Senate or by popular vote next election—that is a matter of prudential judgment," Christianity Today's editor in chief, Mark Galli, wrote in the op-ed. "That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments."

Galli continued, "We believe the impeachment hearings have made it absolutely clear, in a way the Mueller investigation did not, that President Trump has abused his authority for personal gain and betrayed his constitutional oath. The impeachment hearings have illuminated the president's moral deficiencies for all to see."

"None of the president's positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character," he added.

The publication, an influential one among evangelicals, has criticized Trump before on immigration and other issues, but never before called for his removal. The op-ed shows potential reasoning for dissent among a key faction of the Republican coalition as Trump prepares for a potential Senate trial following his impeachment by the House of Representatives Wednesday night.

Read more here.

7:07 a.m. ET, December 20, 2019

An impeached Trump tries looking ahead, but uncertainty threatens Senate vindication

From CNN's Manu Raju, Ted Barrett and Jeremy Herb.

After being impeached, President Donald Trump is hoping to move quickly to a vigorous defense in the Senate and is distressed the trial he hopes will vindicate him might be delayed.

"What are they doing?" Trump asked a top Republican ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham, upon learning Thursday morning that House Democrats may withhold sending articles of impeachment to the Senate until they feel assured there will be a fair trial.

"I said, 'Mr. President, I don't know,'" Graham told reporters before traveling to the White House to discuss the matter further with Trump.

The uncertainty threw a wrench into long-laid plans by the White House to mount an effort at exoneration once the impeachment proceedings move across Capitol Hill to the upper chamber. Trump and his aides have long eyed a Senate trial as the venue for eventual vindication in the saga, viewing the Republican-led chamber as a lock to acquit the President.

One possible avenue for Trump is looking back, to Barack Obama, with a suggestion -- supported possibly with Justice Department legal opinions -- that the former president should have been impeached for blocking congressional Republicans from fully investigating the "Fast and Furious" gun-running scandal.

Read the full story here.

7:03 a.m. ET, December 20, 2019

Here's how House Democrats want the next steps to play out

From CNN's Manu Raju and Jeremy Herb

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats are signaling that it's only a matter of time before the House sends the articles of impeachment to the Senate — but they want Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to cut a deal first on the rules of the trial.

This is what the process looks like:

Schumer and McConnell cut a deal.
Then, the House passes a resolution naming the impeachment managers who will prosecute the case in the Senate.
After the House resolution is adopted, the articles would be transmitted to the Senate.

Pelosi was careful today not to say at her news conference that Democrats must get a "fair" trial before transmitting the articles. That's a different tone than Wednesday night when Pelosi suggested that they needed to have a fair trial before deciding whether and if to submit the articles.

Pelosi said today that she wanted to see how the Senate planned to set up the trial before sending articles because the makeup of the trial could dictate the managers she appoints.

“The next thing for us will be when we see the process that is set forth in the Senate, then we’ll know the number of managers that we may have to go forward and who we will choose. That’s what I said last night, that’s what I’m saying now,” Pelosi��said.

But when CNN asked if there needed to be what Democrats consider a "fair" trial, she didn't explicitly say. "Well we’d like to see a fair process, but we’ll see what they have, and we’ll be ready for whatever it is,” Pelosi said.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler also told CNN that "I would doubt" the House holds onto the articles forever, saying they would be submitted in "due course."

Read the full story here.

7:01 a.m. ET, December 20, 2019

There are 26 formal rules for a Senate impeachment trial

Analysis from CNN's Zachary B. Wolf

Now that the House has impeached President Trump, the Senate, according to the Constitution, must hold a trial.

There are formal rules in place — 26 of them, although a simple majority of 51 senators can vote to change any of the rules at any time.

Here are some of the highlights from the 1986 rules:

Senators take an oath to "do impartial justice": And at least two Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have said they aren't impartial jurors in this process.
John Roberts' power is limited: The Constitution says the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court — that's John Roberts — presides and the Senate's impeachment rules give him the power to rule on rules of evidence and other matters. But he can be overruled if a senator disagrees with him and asks for the full body to vote.
There are restrictions on who the TV cameras can focus on: According to the 1986 rules, the cameras can focus on any person speaking. That suggests there will be no cutaway shots of people who aren't speaking, so this is not going to be a made-for-TV affair.
The accusers get the first and last word: While the custom in the court of law is that the defense gets the last word, according to Rule XXII, the "argument shall be opened and closed by the House of Representatives." That suggests the House impeachment managers get the first word when they open arguments and the last closing arguments.
There is no filibuster: Unlike in normal Senate procedure, a simple majority of senators can vote to end the trial and move to a final vote.

7:00 a.m. ET, December 20, 2019

Trump: "I don’t feel like I’m being impeached because it’s a hoax"

From CNN's Allie Malloy

President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Thursday that he doesn’t “feel” like he’s being impeached,” adding that it’s a hoax.

“I don’t feel like I’m being impeached because it’s a hoax, it’s a setup. It’s a horrible thing they did,” Trump told reporters when asked how it feels to be the third president impeached by the House.

Trump criticized the Democratic party saying “they happen to have a small majority and they took that small majority and they forced people,” adding, “they put the arm on everybody.”

Trump also claimed that many Democrats “didn’t want to vote that way.”

The President then discussed his Michigan rally last night saying he had a “great time” adding the “room was packed.”

“It’s a phony deal and they cheapen the word impeachment… that should never again happen to another president," Trump said.

6:58 a.m. ET, December 20, 2019

The articles of impeachment have been approved but not sent to the Senate. Here's why that matters.

It's two days after the House voted to impeach President Donald Trump. While the next step in the impeachment process involves a trial in the Senate, the House has yet to send articles over to the Senate — and the two chambers seem to be in a standoff.

Here's where things stand now:

The impeachment: The House voted Wednesday to approve two articles of impeachment against the President — obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. See how each member voted here.
The House hasn't sent the case to the Senate yet: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would not commit to sending the articles of impeachment against Trump to the Republican-held Senate. The Senate will eventually hold a trial to determine if Trump should be removed from office, but can't take up the issue until the House formally transmits the articles.
What we're waiting for: Pelosi told reporters today that she was waiting for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to cut a deal first on the rules that would govern the Senate trial before she sends over the articles.
Trump's thinking: The President is hoping to move quickly to a vigorous defense in the Senate and is distressed the trial he hopes will vindicate him might be delayed as the House pauses on transmitting the articles.
The possible timeline: We're not sure when McConnell and Schumer will decide on trial rules and when the House will send over the articles of impeachment. However, even before Trump was impeached, McConnell had said the Senate would hold the trial in the new year.