The First House Vote On Impeachment Came In Exactly How You'd Imagine It Would

This week was a busy one on a world scale: From elections in the U.K. to Finland electing the world’s youngest prime minister to Harry Styles zip-lining across Los Angeles, it seems we can’t catch a break from the news. And the impeachment inquiry seems to be sticking to that rule.


To catch you up:


In July, President Donald Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for two “favors”: to investigate 2016 election interference based on a debunked conspiracy theory and to dig up dirt on his potential political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden. This led to a whistleblower complaint; numerous White Home staffers resigning; a Democratic attempt at impeachment; private and public hearings from each person from Ambassador Bill Taylor, the best diplomat in Ukraine, to Fiona Hill, Trump’s top Russia advisor. We saw dogs; drag queens attended; Kim Kardashian and A$AP Rocky’s names made appearances; we got some very weird turkey pardons; and we had some deadline promises last week that or might not have been kept.


So what happened this week?


Monday (December 9)


The Residence Judiciary Committee held a hearing in which the employees lawyers from the Intelligence Committee presented their reports on the impeachment investigation. You could remember two of those figures — they were the ones asking witnesses questions while in the Intelligence Committee hearings. Unsurprisingly, the Democratic committee lawyers mentioned their findings showed that Trump had made impeachable offenses; the Republican lawyers mentioned that Democrats were simply building a political move without any clear evidence of impeachable offenses.


Democrats again resisted to let the Republicans witnesses — this time, they wanted to hear from Residence Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, the chairman of the Residence Intelligence Committee, and the anonymous whistleblower, according to the New York Times. Reminder that if we hear a public testimony from the anonymous whistleblower, they plan to no longer be anonymous which could put them in danger.


Tuesday (December 10)


each week there’s at least one event that shocks me, and at least one event that I think will surely go down in history. Tuesday was the latter.


House Democrats released two articles of impeachment: abuse of power and obstructing congress. The articles argue that Trump attempted to convince the government in Ukraine — by asking Zelensky directly and by directing others to ask Zelensky – to announce investigations that would “benefit his reelection, harm the election prospects of a political opponent, and influence the 2020 United States Presidential election to his advantage.” The articles also function on a belief that Trump dangled military aid plus a White Residence meeting in return for Zelensky announcing these investigations, and that once Congress began an investigation of their own, Trump thwarted their inquiry by directing corporations, offices, and officials to not abide by subpoenas.


“Wherefore, President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he is going to remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law,” the article states. “President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and adore any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.”


At a press conference, Home Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler mentioned, “We must be clear: No one, not even the president, is above the law,” per the Washington Post.


We also learned that activists are looking at three Republican senators who might potentially be prepared to vote to convict Trump if the impeachment goes to the Senate. Some 20 Republicans would need flip categorize in attempt to convict the president and remove him from office, nevertheless people are looking at Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT).


“It's way also early for me to prepare that assessment,” Romney told CNN. “There will be a trial in the Senate — we'll hear the arguments from both sides. Upon those arguments, and whichever evidence they present, I'll make a decision.”


Wednesday (December 11)


The Home Judiciary Committee began meeting late at night, categorize in attempt to work by means of the articles they introduced on Tuesday, make any needed amendments, and vote on them before sending the articles to the entire Residence of Representatives for an impeachment vote. So, at 7 p.M. Eastern, the 41 members met to debate the articles, according to the New York Times.


CNN also announced that the whistleblower’s attorneys are preparing for what might happen if their client is called to testify — a possibility that Trump and several other Republicans are hoping for.


Thursday (December 12)


The Judiciary Committee met up bright and early on Thursday to continue debating the articles — also it got messy. Real messy. A 14-hour Housewives marathon levels of mess.


At one point, Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) brought up Hunter Biden, and tried to smear the former Vice President’s son by reminding each person of his past substance use. What this has to do with Biden’s role as a board member for a Ukrainian firm is unclear, although he went there anyway.


“I don’t wish to prepare light of anybody’s substance abuse issues,” Gaetz said. “But it’s a little bit hard to believe that Burisma hired Hunter Biden to settle their international disputes whenever he might not settle his own dispute with Hertz rental vehicle over leaving coke as well as a crack pipe in the car.”


Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA) shot him down pretty speedily, saying, “the marijuana calling the kettle black isn't something that we should do,” ostensibly alluding to Gaetz’s 2008 DUI. “I don't know what members, if any, have had any problem with substance abuse — been busted in DUI. I don’t know. Nevertheless if I did, I wouldn't raise it.”


There was expected to be a vote in the Judiciary Committee on impeachable offenses that day, however immediately after several hours of deliberation in which Republicans asked for amendments and Democrats voted them down, the Committee postponed the vote and offered to reconvene at 10 a.M. Friday, the New York Times reported.


Friday (December 13)


Right after postponing the vote, the Judiciary Committee met up again on Friday morning, where they ultimately voted to send the articles of impeachment to the Home of Representatives for a full vote.


Along party lines and with a final vote of 23 to 17, they approved the articles of impeachment against President Trump. According to NBC News, the measures will most likely be voted on by the whole Residence of Representatives on Wednesday next week.


“The president looks forward to procuring in the Senate the fair treatment due process which keeps it up and continues to be disgracefully denied to him by the House,” White Residence press secretary Stephanie Grisham mentioned in a statement immediately following the Judiciary Committee’s vote. Such a statement basically assumes a partisan vote is a foregone conclusion, however it might not directly be that simple: At publish time, over 140 members of the House have not however indicated where they stand on the matter.


For his part, Trump still calls the damning phone call that got him into this disaster “perfect.”