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Maanvi Singh in San Francisco (now) and Joan E Greve in Washington (earlier)

Donald Trump impeachment: president impeached following vote in House of Representatives – as it happened

There’s much more impeachment news on Thursday’s live blog. Follow it here:

Evening summary

Today, Donald Trump became the third president in US history to be impeached. Here’s a recap:

  • After a full day of debate, the House approved two articles of impeachment charging Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
  • Congress voted 230-197 to approve the first article and 229-198 for the second.
  • Members voted overwhelmingly along party lines, with three Democrats opposing one or both articles, and one, 2020 candidate Tulsi Gabbard, voting “present”.
  • While announcing the result, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has cast the impeachment as a sad, solemn occasion, shut down applause from Democrats.
  • Afterward, Pelosi evaded questions about when she will hand the articles of impeachment over to the Senate, indicating that wants to first make sure that the Senate will hold a “fair” trial.
  • Leader Mitch McConnell said he will address the impeachment on the Senate floor tomorrow.
  • As members of the House voted to impeach him, Donald Trump carried on speaking at a campaign rally in Michigan. The moment offered a surreal split screen.
  • As impeachment was being debated, an appeals court delivered a long-awaited ruling on the Affordable Care Act. The court said that the “individual mandate” provision of Obamacare was unconstitutional while punting a broader decision on whether the entire law was valid.
  • And finally (just for fun): the USDA removed references to Wakanda, the fictional home of Marvel superhero Black Panther, from a list of trading partners.

Updated

A few more impeachment reactions from 2020 Dems...

Joe Biden, the only 2020 candidate name-checked in the articles of impeachment, echoed other Dremocrats and cast today as “a solemn moment for our country”

Cory Booker, who along with his 2020 competitors Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, will be participating in the Senate trial on whether to convict Trump, similarly said: “Today is a sad moment for our country.”

Amy Klobuchar, yet another Senator in the 2020 race said “the House is fulfilling their constitutional obligation”.

Meanwhile, Tulsi Gabbard, the only House member to vote “present” said she was “standing in the center”.

“After doing my due diligence in reviewing the 658-page impeachment report, I came to the conclusion that I could not in good conscience vote either yes or no,” she said.

The Hawaii representative and 2020 candidate instead introduced a resolution to censure Trump for abusing “ the powers of the Presidency for his own personal political gain” .

Updated

Analysis: Impeachment is ‘one more battle in America’s cold civil war’

Trump was speaking at a rally in Michigan as members of Congress voted to impeach him.
Trump was speaking at a rally in Michigan as members of Congress voted to impeach him. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters

Read The Guardian’s analysis of today’s historic impeachment vote, courtesy of David Smith:

While no crystal ball can truly foresee whether impeachment will help or hurt Trump in the 2020 presidential election, the House’s ultimate sanction may come to be seen simply as one more battle in America’s cold civil war. That would make it one of the most important yet least consequential votes in congressional history.

RNC and DNC issue contrasting statements on impeachment

Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel said “Nancy Pelosi and her fellow impeachment crusaders have ensured the reelection of President Trump” by voting to impeach him.

At the same time, the Democratic National Committee chair lauded those who voted for impeachment. “Those who voted for impeachment will be remembered for their courage and commitment to protecting our democracy,” said DNC chair Tom Perez.

Republicans and Democrats have stuck with tried and tested talking points, with the former continuing to cast the process as a “sham” and the latter repeating that House Dems had a constitutional responsibility to see the impeachment through.

Updated

Donald Trump is the third US president to be impeached. The moment offered a surreal split screen — as the president railed against Democrats at a rally, they cast their votes against him.

Here’s a recap of the day, in pictures:

Representative Debbie Dingell responded to Trump’s attacks against her and her late husband, writing that his “hurtful words just made my healing much harder”.

Dingell is a Democrat from Michigan, where Trump is holding a campaign rally tonight.

What's next?

Now that Donald Trump has been impeached, it’s up to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi what happens next. Responding to questions from reporters, Pelosi wouldn’t say when she plans on sending the impeachment articles to the Senate, which is required to hold a trial to decide whether to remove the president from office.

“We’ll see what happens over there,” Pelosi said at her news conference, referring to the Senate. She said House Democrats would decide as “a group” when to send the articles over and name impeachment managers — House members who will make their case in the Senate trial.

Mitch McConnell, the Senate leader, said he will address the impeachment at 9:30 AM EST tomorrow morning.

Updated

Speaking at his campaign rally, Donald Trump said he regretted that Debbie Dingell, a Democratic representative from Michigan, voted to impeach him even though he allowed a state funeral to proceed for her late husband and have him “the A+ treatment”.

Trump also suggested John Dingell may be “looking up” from hell.

2020 Democratic candidates laud impeachment

Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren indicated they were ready to take up the torch in the senate.

Michael Bloomberg said the House “did its duty under the Constitution,” but added that “unfortunately, it increasingly appears that Senate Republicans will not. The issue won’t be settled until November, by the American people.”

Julian Castro suggested that Mitch McConnell should recuse himself from the Senate trial. “The Senate should do its constitutional duty. Remove Donald Trump from office,” he said.

Pete Buttigieg expressed similar sentiments. “Our lawmakers take an oath not to party but to country,” he said. “That oath is all the more important in the most difficult of times.

Pelosi evaded questions on whether she would commit to sending articles to Senate

Nancy Pelosi would not definitively commit to sending over the articles of impeachment or naming impeachment managers.

“We cannot name managers until we see what the process is on the Senate side,” she said. “So far we haven’t seen anything that looks fair to us.”

Senate leader Mitch McConnell is “in cahoots with the lawyers of the accused,” Pelosi said, but she did not say how exactly a fair Senate trial would look .

Withholding the articles could give Pelosi some leverage over the trial as she pushes McConnell to call more witnesses.

Updated

Adam Schiff: ‘Will the Senate uphold its duty?’

Democratic members of Congress spoke from Capitol Hill following the impeachment vote.
Democratic members of Congress spoke from Capitol Hill following the impeachment vote. Photograph: Susan Walsh/AP

“The question is whether the majority leader will allow a fair trial,” Shiff said, having seen the impeachment inquiry he led come to a close. “We have done our duty in the House, we have upheld the constitution. The question now is will the senate uphold its duty?”

He urged senators to call more witnesses and demand to see documents that the president has withheld. “The president not only abused his office but threatens to abuse it again,” Schiff said.

Nancy Pelosi said today is a “sad day” for the country. “The president’s reckless activities necessitated us having to introduce articles of impeachment,” she said, before thanking the various House committee leaders who spearheaded the impeachment inquiry.

House Judiciary chair Jerrold Nadler added that the “no one, not even the president is above the law”.

Updated

Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

Donald Trump continued to speak at a campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan as a majority of the House voted to pass both articles of impeachment.

“The do-nothing Democrats are declaring their deep hatred and disdain for the American people,” he told the crowd. “This lawless partisan impeachment is a political suicide march for the Democrat party.”

In a statement, Trump’s press secretary Stephanie Grisham said the president is “confident the Senate will restore regular order, fairness, and due process, all of which were ignored in the House proceedings”.

“He is prepared for the next steps and confident that he will be fully exonerated,” she said.

Second article of impeachment passes

The House has now passed the second article of impeachment, which is obstruction of Congress. The final vote was 229-198, with only Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard voting “present.”

Trump has been impeached on both abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, and the two articles will now taken up by the Senate in a trial to determine whether he should be removed from office.

It is widely expected the president will be acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate, but the importance of this moment cannot be understated.

A majority of the House of representatives has declared that Trump has abused his power and obstructed Congress, and he will go down in history as only the third US president to ever be impeached.

Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who voted “present” on both articles of impeachment, has issued a statement explaining her stance, which will certainly prove controversial with the rest of her caucus.

“After doing my due diligence in reviewing the 658-page impeachment report, I came to the conclusion that I could not in good conscience vote either yes or no,” Gabbard said in the statement.

This moment is quickly going viral. After the first article of impeachment officially passed, speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared to shush the House Democrats who started to applaud.

Pelosi has emphasized throughout the day that this is a “sad” occasion, and the speaker reportedly instructed her caucus not to appear celebratory of the inevitable result.

Majority of House backs second article

A majority of the House of representatives has now voted in favor of the second article of impeachment, obstruction of Congress, after passing the first article, abuse of power.

The vote is not final until speaker Nancy Pelosi gavels it in, but the tally is currently 221-165, with only Tulsi Gabbard voting present.

Three House Democrats -- Jeff Van Drew, Collin Peterson and Jared Golden -- have voted “no” on the second article of impeachment, which is obstruction of Congress.

Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard voted “present,” as she did on the first article of impeachment.

Vote underway on second article of impeachment

With Nancy Pelosi presiding over the House, the speaker called for a vote on the second article of impeachment, which is obstruction of Congress.

This vote will go much the same as the first, with one notable exception: Democratic congressman Jared Golden has said he will vote “no” on this article, despite supporting the first article.

Members have five minutes to cast their ballots.

Trump becomes third president in US history to be impeached

The House has passed the first article of impeachment against Trump, abuse of power, by a vote of 230-197.

Donald Trump is officially the third president in US history to be impeached by the House.

The members will now move on to the second article of impeachment, which is obstruction of Congress.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi turned in a green “yes” card moments ago, casting her ballot in favor of the first article of impeachment.

After much speculation as to whether she was even going to participate in the vote, congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, has voted “present” on the first article of impeachment.

Majority of House members vote for first article of impeachment

A majority of House members have now voted “yes” on the first article of impeachment, but it is not official until the end of the vote is called.

The vote is currently 219-164.

Updated

Congressman Collin Peterson has now voted “no” on the first article of impeachment, becoming only the second (and likely last) House Democrat to oppose the article.

Congressman Ron Kind, who avoided stating publicly whether he would support impeachment, has voted “yes,” as has congressman Jared Golden.

Golden, a Democrat from Maine, announced yesterday that he would support the first article of impeachment, but not the second, so his vote will switch to a “no” when that article is taken up.

As expected, congressman Jeff Van Drew, the Democrat who is expected to switch parties after the impeachment vote and has spent the day on the Republican side of the aisle, has voted “no” on the first article of impeachment.

Democratic congressman Collin Peterson is also likely to vote “no,” but every other House Democrat is expected to support the first article, which is abuse of power.

Vote underway on first article of impeachment

More than 11 hours after the start of today’s impeachment hearings, the vote is now underway on the first article of impeachment against Trump, which is abuse of power.

House members will have 15 minutes to cast their votes, and many are choosing to do it by hand rather than electronically.

PBS livestream of the Trump rally.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump, speaking at his campaign rally in Michigan said, “By the way, it doesn’t really feel like we’re being impeached.”

“We did nothing wrong and we have tremendous support in the Republican party like we’ve never had before,” he said.

Updated

Impeachment debate concludes

Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House intelligence committee, has concluded his remarks, wrapping up the debate on the impeachment resolution.

The chamber has now moved on to a vote on the two articles of impeachment.

Schiff delivers final remarks

Minority leader Kevin McCarthy has concluded his floor speech, and intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff is now delivering the final remarks of the impeachment debate.

Schiff accused his Republican colleagues of spending their debate time spewing a lot of “sound and fury signifying nothing.” But the chairman said the Republican argument boiled down to this question: “Why should we care what the president did to Ukraine?”

Schiff went on to say America should care about the plight of its allies, particularly a struggling democracy like Ukraine.

He also encouraged his Republican colleagues to consider the precedent it would set if the House did not impeach Trump, warning it could signal presidents can just ignore congressional oversight.

Minority leader Kevin McCarthy accused Democrats of acquiescing to their “new socialist base” in pursuing the impeachment of Trump.

“It didn’t have to be this way. Is this why we came here to serve? To trample on due process rights? To issue more subpoenas than laws? To appease the new Democrat-socialist base?” McCarthy said.

“Fortunately, the people will have the opportunity to speak up and render their verdict in 11 short months,” the California Republican continued. “To my fellow Americans -- If you approve of the way this House has conducted its business -- if you want to see your tax dollars go towards endless investigations -- support impeachment.

“But if you want to restore a working Congress -- like the previous Congress that listened to you and worked to bring the best economy this country has ever seen and will once again work with the President to get things done for you and your family -- then join Republicans in rejecting this baseless impeachment. That’s what’s wonderful about this system of ours: we are a government of, by, and for the people.”

House minority leader Kevin McCarthy opened his floor speech by sharing a fact that Democrats will “hate to hear”: “Donald J. Trump is president of the United States,” prompting cheers from his Republican caucus.

“He is president today, he will be president tomorrow and he will be president when this impeachment is over,” McCarthy said.

“Here is our choice tonight,” McCarthy continued, “Will we let impeachment become an exercise of raw political power, regardless if it damages our country? Or will we protect the proper grounds and process for impeachment now and in the future?”

Majority leader Steny Hoyer has concluded his floor speech, and congressman Doug Collins, the top Republican on the House judiciary committee, is now delivering some remarks.

The final two speakers are expected to be minority leader Kevin McCarthy and intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff.

In his floor speech, majority leader Steny Hoyer praised congressman Justin Amash, who left the Republican Party over his opposition to Trump.

Amash spoke on the floor earlier today, encouraging his colleagues to vote in favor of impeachment for the sake of the country.

“We need not ask who will be the first to show courage by standing up to President Trump,” Hoyer said. “The question we must now ask is who will be the last to find it.”

House Republicans have repeatedly jeered Steny Hoyer as the majority leader delivers his floor speech presenting Democrats’ position on the impeachment resolution.

Trump arrives in Michigan for a campaign rally

Trump waved upon arriving in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Trump waved upon arriving in Battle Creek, Michigan. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters

As the impeachment debate rolls toward a final vote, Donald Trump has arrived in Michigan, where he is holding a campaign rally tonight.

Upon deboarding his plane, the president did not speak to the press, signaling that he was doing “good,” as he waved off questions.

He did issue a statement on the Affordable Care Act ruling earlier today, reassuring that “this decision will not alter the current healthcare system.”

Besides posting an all-caps tweet decrying “atrocious lies by the radical left” several hours ago, Trump has remained relatively quiet on impeachment today.

Members of Congress may begin voting on articles of impeachment against Trump as he takes the rally podium.

Updated

Democratic majority leader Steny Hoyer acknowledged the 63 million people who voted for Trump in 2016 but quickly nodded to the 65 million who voted for Hillary Clinton, appearing to prompt some cheers from the Democratic side of the aisle.

The Maryland Democrat also reminded his Republican colleagues that he and the speaker, Nancy Pelosi, resisted the idea of impeachment for months, until the whistleblower complaint on the Ukraine controversy emerged.

The most senior Democrats and Republicans in the House are now delivering their floor speeches, indicating the debate on the impeachment resolution is winding down.

House minority whip Steve Scalise has just finished speaking, and majority leader Steny Hoyer has now taken the mic. Minority leader Kevin McCarthy also tweeted he would soon speak on the floor.

Congressman Steve Scalise, the House minority whip, has been granted five minutes to criticize the impeachment resolution as the floor debate begins to wind down.

The Louisiana Republican accused Democrats of pursuing a “political vendetta” against Trump with their impeachment inquiry, which he said only stemmed from their “fear that he might win reelection.”

“They made up these terms to impeach a president because they couldn’t find any crimes,” Scalise said, claiming the Democrats “hated” the 63 million Americans who voted for Trump.

That last comment sparked boos from the Democratic side of the aisle and some cheers from Scalise’s Republican colleagues.

Doug Collins, the Republican congressman coordinating his caucus’ floor speeches, asked Adam Schiff whether the Democrats had concluded their side of the debate, but the House intelligence committee chairman said they still had a few speakers remaining.

The hearing has now been underway for 10 hours, and the vote on the articles of impeachment is expected in the next hour.

Meanwhile, Trump is expected to take the stage at his campaign rally in Michigan at any moment.

On a historic day for America …

Soon, Donald Trump faces an impeachment vote in the House. This vote marks the latest twist in one of the most turbulent presidencies in US history.

But the challenges to American democracy do not end today. Over the last three years, much of what we hold dear has been threatened – democracy, civility, truth. The need for a robust, independent press has never been greater.

2020 promises to be an epic year – and could define the country for a generation. With your help we will continue to provide fact-based reporting that offers public scrutiny and oversight.

We’re asking our US readers to help us raise $1.5m by early January to support our journalism. We hope you’ll consider making a year-end gift.

We also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the Guardian in 2019. You provide us with the motivation and financial support to keep doing what we do.

Make a contribution.

Congresswoman Liz Cheney, the chairwoman of the House Republican conference, was allowed four minutes to condemn the impeachment resolution, more time than almost any of her colleagues.

The Wyoming Republican claimed Democrats had presented “no direct evidence of any impeachable offense” and warned Trump’s impeachment could set a dangerous precedent.

Cheney urged her colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote “no” on the articles of impeachment to honor the Constitution and their oath of office.

Congressman Drew Ferguson, a Georgia Republican, condemned the impeachment resolution, calling it a “goat rodeo” and a “sham.”

Another poll shows sharp divide on impeachment

As the House debate continues on the impeachment resolution, another poll has been released showing the country is evenly divided on whether Trump should be removed from office.

According to the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 48% of Americans favor the president’s impeachment and removal from office, while 48% oppose it.

Trump and his allies have taken to claiming in recent days that support for impeachment is sharply declining. In reality, support for the president’s impeachment has been virtually unmoved since the inquiry’s public hearings started.

Congressman Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House intelligence committee, accused Democrats of cooking up baseless allegations against Trump to make up for their loss in the 2016 election.

“The only thing that Donald Trump is guilty of is beating Hillary Clinton,” the California Republican said.

Nunes went on to slam his Democratic colleagues for “ripping the country apart ... in their lust for power.”

Echoing dozens of his colleagues, congressman Jim Jordan argued Democrats only pursued impeachment to punish Trump for his allaged success in office.

“When you drain the swamp, the swamp fights back,” the president’s House ally said.

It also appears congressman Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House intelligence committee, will get the chance to weigh in on the floor.

After two more of Trump’s House allies, Mark Meadows and John Ratcliffe, spoke in opposition to the impeachment resolution, Adam Schiff predicted history would remember his Republican colleagues poorly.

“I think when the history of this time is written, it will record that when my colleagues found that they lacked the courage to stand up to this unethical president, they consoled themselves by attacking those who did,” Schiff said.

This condemnation was met by audible groans on the Republican side of the aisle.

Congressman Lee Zeldin, a close House ally of Trump’s, was given three minutes to criticize the impeachment resolution, a relatively lengthy window given most of his colleagues who have spoken in this hour of the debate were only allowed 30 seconds.

Zeldin directed most of his ire at Adam Schiff, accusing the intelligence committee chairman of “cherry-picking” facts and “misleading” the American public.

He concluded by encouraging his colleagues to vote “no” on impeachment. “It’s a total Schiff show,” Zeldin concluded, appearing to prompt a chuckle from the Democratic chairman.

Schiff mocks Republicans for ignoring substance of allegations against Trump

Adam Schiff interrupted the string of short floor speeches to argue his Republican colleagues are unable to address the accusations against Trump, claiming the president’s allies are only able to come up with “process” complaints about the impeachment inquiry.

Schiff’s comments prompted grumbling on the Republican side of the aisle. “Apparently, Madame Speaker, I’ve struck a nerve,” Schiff said.

He went on to say of Trump’s actions toward Ukraine, “They don’t want to defend that conduct. ... What they can’t say is that this president’s conduct was ethical.”

“Auntie Maxine” is now trending on Twitter after congresswoman Maxine Waters delivered her floor speech in favor of the impeachment resolution.

“This day was not inevitable, but it was predictable,” Waters said, “because this president has shown himself time and time again to believe that he is above the law and he has no respect for our Constitution or our democracy.”

Time check: there is a little over an hour remaining in the impeachment debate, but Republicans have about 43 minutes left compared to the Democrats’ 29 minutes.

Meanwhile, even reporters from Hawaiian outlets have been unable to determine whether one of their representatives, Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, will participate in tonight’s impeachment vote.

Gabbard was not present for this morning’s procedural votes, and the presidential candidate proposed yesterday that Democrats censure Trump rather than impeaching him.

If Gabbard does appear, it’s unclear how she will vote on the two articles of impeachment.

Updated

One Republican cingressman suggested the House should consider the removal of Nancy Pelosi, prompting a laugh from the speaker.

An appeals court rules a key provision of the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional

While lawmakers on Capitol Hill are preoccupied with impeachment, a federal judge dropped a long-awaited decision on healthcare, ruling that the Obamacare mandate requiring Americans to buy coverage is unconstitutional but declining to rule on whether the entire Affordable Care Act is valid.

The decision doesn’t have much immediate impact, because Congress already repealed the penalty for those who don’t buy insurance. But the court delayed any decision on whether the entire ACA is unconstitutional because of the mandate, leaving it to a district court to “provide additional analysis of the provisions of the ACA as they currently exist.”

In 2018, a group of Republican-led states filed a lawsuit arguing that individual mandate repeal meant that the entire law should be town down. The Fifth Circut agreed, but the decision was appealed by Democratic state attorneys, including California.

California’s attorney general Xavier Becerra said he will challenge today’s ruling as well.

The ruling thrusts the debate of the Affordable Care Act, and its many provisions including protections for people with preexisting medical conditions, back into the national spotlight as the 2020 elections approach.

Updated

Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the chairwoman of the House financial service committee, argued the impeachment resolution would allow “justice” to be served.

Quoting Maya Angelou, Waters said of the president, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, another Virginia Democrat whose district backed Trump in 2016, has also just taken the floor to explain her support for the impeachment resolution.

Spanberger and Elaine Luria, who spoke shortly before her, are two of the vulnerable freshman Democrats who signed a Washington Post op-ed in September asserting Trump’s alleged actions toward Ukraine constituted impeachable behavior.

Congresswoman Elaine Luria, a Virginia Democrat whose district backed Trump by 3 points in 2016, has just finished delivering her floor speech explaining her support for impeachment.

Luria said she spoke today “in support of our Constitution” and the oath she first took at 17, when she entered the naval academy.

The congresswoman said she stood on the House floor with the “resolve to do what is right and not what is politically expedient.”

Several House Republicans actually booed just now as Adam Schiff was challenging their defenses of the president, a first for this historic day in Congress.

Pelosi to hold press conference after impeachment vote

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced she and the committe chairs who led the impeachment inquiry would hold a press conference tonight, following the expected passage of the articles of impeachment.

Updated

Before Trump departed the White House for his campaign rally in Michigan, some of his advisers -- including his daugher, Ivanka Trump -- were spotted in the Oval Office, sitting near a poster showing the 2016 election results by acreage.

Earlier today, a judge dismissed Paul Manafort’s state charges -- undermining New York prosecutors’ attempts to ensure jail time for Trump’s former campaign chair, despite a potential presidential pardon.

Paul Manafort arrives in court in New York.
Paul Manafort arrives in court in New York. Photograph: Seth Wenig/AP

Manafort is currently serving a 7.5 year prison sentence after being convicted in federal court on charges stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller III’s Russia probe. The Manhattan district attorney additionally charged Manafort, 70, with mortgage fraud and more than a dozen other state felonies.

Manafort’s lawyers argued that the state charges should be dismissed because they overlapped with his federal charges. A state judge in Manhattan agreed. “Basically, the law of double jeopardy in New York State provides a very narrow window for prosecution,” he said, before submitting his decision to dismiss the charges.

Manafort, 70, did not appear in court. He was hospitalized last week after a cardiac health issue.

Congressman Matt Gaetz, one of the president’s closest House allies, has taken the floor, and he has come out swinging.

“This is not about Ukraine; this is about power,” the Florida Republican said. “Donald Trump has it, and Democrats want it.”

Gaetz accused the Democrats of “adhering to no sense of honor” in their handling of the impeachment inquiry, claiming his colleagues on the left have “plotted and planned” Trump’s removal since his inauguration.

Gaetz called the impeachment resolution a “slap in the face” to the Americans who voted for Trump and argued Democrats were merely looking for an “insurance policy” because they cannot defeat Trump.

“But we have an insurance policy, too,” Gaetz said. “It’s the next election, and we intend to win it.”

Time check: congresswoman Diana DeGette, who is presiding over the impeachment proceedings, said two hours remain in the impeachment debate.

Democrats and Republicans each have another hour to make their cases, although the Republican caucus has about six minutes more in their remaining time than their Democratic counterparts.

Trump is on his way to a campaign rally in Michigan, ignoring reporters’ questions about today’s impeachment proceedings as he left the White House.

The rally is scheduled to begin at 7pm ET, which means Trump could be speaking to his supporters when he becomes the third president in US history to be impeached.

Updated

Congressman Justin Amash, who left the Republican Party over his opposition to Trump, was given two minutes by the Democrats to make a floor speech in favor of impeachment.

“I come to this floor, not as a Republican, not as a Democrat, but as an American,” Amash said.

The Michigan lawmaker went on to argue House members have a duty to vote in favor of the impeachment resolution. “Impeachment is about maintaining the integrity of the office of the presidency,” Amash said.

Adam Schiff mocked a talking point from his Republican colleagues, who have repeatedly slammed the “secretive” nature of the impeachment inquiry.

Specifically, Republicans have complained about the House committees leading the inquiry holding meetings in a basement “bunker,” referring to the room in the Capitol where lawmakers receive classified information.

“This is apparently what they call depositions,” Schiff joked.

Congressman John Lewis, a civil rights icon who marched alongside Martin Luther King, called on his colleagues to support impeachment, arguing they have a “moral obligation to say something, to do something.”

“We didn’t ask for this,” Lewis said. “Our nation is founded on the principle that we do not have kings, we have presidents, and the Constituion is our compass.”

Lewis asserted the House had “a mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history.” The Georgia Democrat predicted future generations would ask this question: “What did you do?”

Updated

All Republicans expected to vote 'no' on impeachment

Republican congressman Francis Rooney, who had said he was open to supporting impeachment, has officially announced he will vote “no” tonight, virtually ensuring every House Republican will oppose the resolution.

“Based on the limited evidence provided to the House of Representatives, the President’s behavior, while inappropriate, was neither criminal, nor does it rise to the level of justifying impeachment,” Rooney said in a statement explaining his decision.

A Republican congressman, Bill Johnson, just used his floor speech to hold a moment of silence for the 63 million Americans who backed Trump in 2016, whose votes are supposedly being ignored in the impeachment inquiry.

Of course, that 63 million figure is almost 3 million votes fewer than Hillary Clinton received in 2016.

Congressman Justin Amash, who left the Republican Party over his opposition to Trump and has become a vocal supporter of impeachment, has asked Democrats for two minutes to deliver a floor speech.

Adam Schiff used his floor speech to detail the allegations against Trump and warn that Congress would set a dangerous precedent if members did not vote to impeach him.

“If the president’s conduct isn’t impeachable, then nothing is impeachable,” Schiff said.

The intelligence committee chairman also quoted Alexander Hamilton’s warning of a leader who is “unprincipled in private life, desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper,” who would “throw things into confusion” and “may ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.”

Schiff takes over from Nadler to oversee Democrats' floor speeches

Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, has taken over from Jerry Nadler to oversee Democrats’ floor speeches in the impeachment debate.

“I rise to support the impeachment of Donald J Trump,” Schiff said upon taking the floor.

The handoff from Nadler to Schiff indicates we are halfway through the floor debate, with three hours remaining.

Nadler and Gohmert clash on the floor

Congressman Louie Gohmert, a fervent defender of Trump’s, used his floor speech to peddle baseless claims against Ukraine.

When the floor was turned over to Jerry Nadler, the judiciary committee chairman said, “I’m deeply concerned that any member of the House would spew Russian propaganda on the floor of the House.”

Gohmert could be heard shouting back at Nadler from the floor, but his objections were drowned out by congresswoman Diana DeGette, who is presiding over the debate, banging her gavel.

Gohmert then walked over to Nadler and appeared to be angrily confronting him, although Nadler said few words in response.

Congressman Will Hurd, a retiring Republican who was once viewed as a potential impeachment supporter by Democrats, used his floor speech to condemn the “rushed process” of the inquiry, so his “no” vote is secured.

It’s still unclear how many votes will be needed to pass the articles of impeachment because the number depends on how many members participate in the vote, as a Fox News reporter noted.

On a historic day for America …

In a matter of hours, Donald Trump faces an impeachment vote in the House. This vote marks the latest twist in one of the most turbulent presidencies in US history.

But the challenges to American democracy do not end today. Over the last three years, much of what we hold dear has been threatened – democracy, civility, truth. The need for a robust, independent press has never been greater.

2020 promises to be an epic year – and could define the country for a generation. With your help we will continue to provide fact-based reporting that offers public scrutiny and oversight.

We’re asking our US readers to help us raise $1.5m by early January to support our journalism. We hope you’ll consider making a year-end gift.

We also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the Guardian in 2019. You provide us with the motivation and financial support to keep doing what we do.

Make a contribution.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has spent much of the afternoon sitting on the House floor, listening to members’ speeches about the impeachment resolution.

Julián Castro didn’t qualify for the Democratic presidential debate in Los Angeles this week, but the former housing secretary is still making stops in LA. This morning, he took a tour of Skid Row with activists and talked with homeless people about the worsening crisis in California.

His visit comes as Trump has repeatedly threatened to launch some kind of police crackdown on homeless people living on the streets of LA and San Francisco.

“The administration has decided to take an approach of essentially criminalizing people who are homeless,” Castro said. “This is the wrong thing to do ... The administration is going backwards.”

“We cannot accept criminalizing poverty,” he said. “That is morally wrong.”
Castro visited the Downtown Women’s Center at Skid Row, which is the epicenter of the housing crisis in southern California.

“The stereotype of homelessness is a single man, but we know that doesn’t reflect the reality out there today. Unfortunately there are many women and children and families,” Castro said.

As he walked through tent encampments with a trail of reporters tagging along, some living on the street ran up to shake his hand and give hugs.

“You need to get us housing, that’s what y’all need to do!” one person shouted at Castro.

“Stop filming and help us!” said another.

Castro and senator Cory Booker both failed to qualify for the final debate of the year, which will take place in LA on Thursday night.

The White House appears to be delivering Trump’s six-page letter to Nancy Pelosi to Senate offices, along with a pair of Christmas cards.

Trump sent the furious letter to Pelosi yesterday, calling impeachment an “unprecedented and unconstitutional abuse of power by Democrat Lawmakers, unequaled in nearly two and a half centuries of American legislative history.”

Democrats and Republicans each have about an hour and 45 minutes left in their debate time, meaning three and a half hours of debate remain before members will turn to a vote on the articles of impeachment.

Some House Democrats are reportedly urging speaker Nancy Pelosi to withhold the articles of impeachment against Trump in the hope of gaining leverage in a Senate trial.

The Washington Post reports:

The notion of impeaching Trump but holding the articles in the House has gained traction among some of the political left as a way of potentially forcing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to conduct a trial on more favorable terms for Democrats. And if no agreement is reached, some have argued, the trial could be delayed indefinitely, denying Trump an expected acquittal.

The gambit has gained some traction inside the left wing of the House Democratic Caucus this week. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) said Wednesday, as his colleagues debated the impeachment articles on the House floor, that he has spoken to three dozen Democratic lawmakers who had expressed some level of enthusiasm for the idea of ‘rounding out the record and spending the time to do this right.’ ...

Republicans have scoffed at the notion of the House withholding the articles, noting it hardly counts as leverage to deny the GOP the ability to remove a president that the party wants to keep in place. Some aides further argued that withholding the articles would only fuel Republican arguments that Democrats are engaged in a partisan abuse of the Constitution.

Giving an interview in the White House briefing room, senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway accused Nancy Pelosi of making the impeachment inquiry “personal,” claiming the House speaker threw a “hissy fit” when she met with the president in the cabinet room.

Congressman Mike Kelly has just compared today’s impeachment vote to Pearl Harbor, predicting Dec. 18 would be “another date that will live in infamy,” referring to FDR’s famous quote about Dec. 7, 1941.

Kelly’s comparison adds to a growing list of inappropriate references Trump’s Republican allies have made to lament the president’s impeachment, including the crucifixion of Jesus and the Salem witch trials.

At least two more House members, Democrat Jose Serrano and Republican John Shimkus, will not be present for today’s impeachment vote, slightly lowering the threshold needed to approve the articles of impeachment.

But it’s still unclear whether Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who is running for president and missed this morning’s procedural votes, will participate.

Gabbard, who has been harshly critical of some of her presidential primary opponents, called for Trump’s censure yesterday, and it’s unclear how she will vote on the articles of impeachment if she appears on Capitol Hill.

House members were just told a little more than four hours remain in the impeachment debate, so the chamber appears to be on schedule for a final vote between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. E.T.

Republican congressman Barry Loudermilk just made a comparison between the Trump impeachment inquiry and the trial of Jesus in the Bible, shockingly arguing Pontius Pilate was more fair to Jesus than Democrats have been to the president.

Updated

Congressman Steve Chabot, the Republican lawmaker who just warned Trump’s impeachment would set a dangerously low standard going forward, was an impeachment manager during Bill Clinton’s presidency.

Two other former Clinton impeachment managers, congressman Jim Sensenbrenner and senator Lindsey Graham, also still serve in Congress.

Several thousand Trump supporters are standing in line, waiting to get in to the venue for his Michigan campaign rally tonight despite that it’s -4 with the wind chill. Not surprisingly, the crowd’s opinions on impeachment were firmly pro-Trump.

“Its a shitshow. Its been a waste of time from the start. The Democrats want to overturn the election and they can’t, so they’re wasting everyone’s time,” said Debra Schulz from Kalamazoo, who had a Trump-Pence flag draped around her shoulders.

“Did you watch the hearings? They didn’t present any evidence. It was all speculation and hearsay. There’s nothing there,” said Mike Ostafin from Ceresco.

Steve King, the Republican congressman who was stripped of his committee assignments over his comments about white nationalism, just delivered his floor speech criticizing the impeachment inquiry.

The Iowa lawmaker made the dubious argument that Trump could not have abused his power by pushing for an investigation into Joe Biden because the former vice president is not actually his political rival.

King argued Biden was competing against “21” other Democratic presidential candidates and “running third in the polls,” so Trump’s request for an investigation was therefore not inherently political.

On a historic day for America …

In a matter of hours, Donald Trump faces an impeachment vote in the House. This vote marks the latest twist in one of the most turbulent presidencies in US history.

But the challenges to American democracy do not end today. Over the last three years, much of what we hold dear has been threatened – democracy, civility, truth. The need for a robust, independent press has never been greater.

2020 promises to be an epic year – and could define the country for a generation. With your help we will continue to provide fact-based reporting that offers public scrutiny and oversight.

We’re asking our US readers to help us raise $1.5m by early January to support our journalism. We hope you’ll consider making a year-end gift.

We also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the Guardian in 2019. You provide us with the motivation and financial support to keep doing what we do.

Make a contribution.

Congressman Cedric Richmond tried to appeal to the reputations of his Republican colleagues in his floor speech, arguing Trump was not worthy of the loyalty his party is showing.

The Louisiana Democrat warned the president would not stand by Republican lawmakers “past the next tweet or next week.”

Here is the full text of Clay Higgins’ floor speech, in which the Republican congressman criticized the Democrats supporting impeachment by referring to them as “the same socialists who threaten unborn life in the womb.”

Updated

Meanwhile, over in the Senate, senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway is attending the Republican caucus lunch and working hard to prevent defections in the likely event of an impeachment trial.

There was just a bizarre moment on the House floor, as judiciary committee chairman Jerry Nadler reminded his Republican colleagues that Mike Pence would become president if Trump were impeached, not Hillary Clinton.

This ackowledgement was met by laughs and cheers on the Republican side of the aisle.

Congressman Chris Stewart, a Republican member of the House intelligence committee, warned Trump’s impeachment would set a precedent for future presidents.

“The next president, I promise you, is going to be impeached,” Stewart said in his floor speech. “If you set this bar as being impeachable, every president in our future will be impeached.”

Congressman Clay Higgins attracted Republican applause and Democratic scorn for his floor speech, which was accompanied by a poster showing the results of the 2016 election by acreage.

“They call us deplorables,” Higgins said. “They fear our faith, they fear our strength, they fear our unity, they fear our vote, and they fear our president.” He added, “Our republic shall survive this threat from within.”

But commentators pointed out Trump actually lost the popular vote in 2016, taking some of the air out of Higgins’ argument.

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, whose name has been floated as a possible impeachment manager, pledged that Democrats would impeach Trump to send a message about the Constitution.

“We will impeach Donald John Trump,” Jeffries said on the House floor. “And we will clarify that, in America, no one is above the law.”

Jeffries’ remarks were followed by those of Republican Tom McClintock, who referred to abuse of power (one of the articles of impeachment) as a “made-up crime.”

On a historic day for America …

In a matter of hours, Donald Trump faces an impeachment vote in the House. This vote marks the latest twist in one of the most turbulent presidencies in US history.

But the challenges to American democracy do not end today. Over the last three years, much of what we hold dear has been threatened – democracy, civility, truth. The need for a robust, independent press has never been greater.

2020 promises to be an epic year – and could define the country for a generation. With your help we will continue to provide fact-based reporting that offers public scrutiny and oversight.

We’re asking our US readers to help us raise $1.5m by early January to support our journalism. We hope you’ll consider making a year-end gift.

We also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the Guardian in 2019. You provide us with the motivation and financial support to keep doing what we do.

Make a contribution.

Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House judiciary committee, asked G.K. Butterfield, who is now presiding over the impeachment proceedings, how much time remains in the debate.

Butterfield conferred with House officials and confirmed that more than five hours remain, so there will be a lot more debate to come.

Afternoon summary

Here’s where this historic day stands so far:

  • The House is currently debating the articles of impeachment against Trump, with a final vote expected between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. E.T. tonight.
  • House speaker Nancy Pelosi opened the six hours of debate by accusing Trump of violating the Constitution and urging members to honor their oath of office.
  • Two House Democrats -- Collin Peterson and Jeff Van Drew, who has signaled he intends to switch parties -- joined Republicans in opposing procedural motions to advance the impeachment debate.

The blog will have much more coming up, so stay tuned.

A senior Trump campaign official said the president’s team is “very excited” that the impeachment vote may be finalized as Trump takes the stage tonight for his campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan.

The impeachment vote will likely occur between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. E.T. tonight, and Trump is scheduled to start his rally at 7.

House judiciary committee Jerry Nadler criticized his Republican colleagues’ remarks on the floor, saying he has heard them say everything “except a defense of President Trump’s conduct, which is indefensible.”

Nadler then turned the floor over to congressman Ted Deutch of Florida. There is still more than five hours of debate left to go.

Moments after the White House claimed Trump would be “working all day” and would only catch “some” of the impeachment debate, the president again tweeted about the proceedings, accusing Democrats of executing an “ASSAULT ON AMERICA.”

Trump has a light public schedule today before leaving for his Michigan campaign rally, allowing the president to tweet more than 40 times by noon.

Speaking at an event in Michigan before the president’s campaign rally tonight, Mike Pence slammed the impeachment inquiry as a “disgrace” and accused Democrats of trying to reverse the 2016 election.

“What’s happening on Capitol Hill today is a disgrace,” the vice president said, according to the pool report. “The truth is they are trying to impeach this president because they know they can’t defeat this president. ...

“They’re pushing this partisan impeachment because they know they can’t stop you from giving president Donald Trump four more years in the White House. ... Tonight after a sham investigation, do-nothing Democrats are going to vote on a partisan impeachment seeking to oveturn the willl of the American people.”

Asked about Trump’s light schedule today before he leaves for his Michigan campaign rally, the White House said he would be “working all day” and might watch “some” of the floor debate on the impeachment resolution.

“The President will be working all day,” press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. “He will be briefed by staff throughout that day, and could catch some of the proceedings between meetings.”

Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, one of only 14 Republicans who were in the House during Bill Clinton’s impeachment, just spoke on the floor to denounce the impeachment inquiry.

Congressman Doug Collins, the top Republican on the House judiciary committee, is now speaking on the floor, slamming impeachment as a baseless, partisan stunt.

“This is not a solemn occasion,” Collins said, mocking the words of speaker Nancy Pelosi. “They’ve been wanting to do this ever since the election.”

Collins repeated his words from yesterday’s rules committee hearing, saying, “The clock and the calendar are terrible masters.”

The Georgia Republican argued his Democratic colleagues only cared about getting political revenge on Trump. “They do not care about facts,” Collins said.

As Nancy Pelosi concluded her remarks to kick off debate on the impeachment resolution, the House speaker was met with a standing ovation from the many Democratic members present for her speech.

Speaking on the House floor, Nancy Pelosi reiterated the accusations against Trump and urged members to honor their oath of office in today’s impeachment vote.

The House speaker argued the president had “violated the Constitution” and had left Democrats with “no choice” but to impeach.

“If we do not act now, we are derelict in our duty,” Pelosi told the chamber, where most of her Democratic caucus was present to hear her remarks.

Updated

Pelosi kicks off impeachment debate

The debate on the articles of impeachment has officially begun, and House judiciary committee Jerry Nadler began by deferring to speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The House speaker opened the debate by reciting the pledge of allegiance and emphasizing the oath members take. “The republic for which it stands is what we are here to talk about today,” Pelosi said.

She then repeated the Benjamin Franklin quote she has pointed to throughout the impeachment inquiry to justify the investigation: “A republic if we can keep it.”

The House clerk, Joe Novotny, has just finished reading the articles of impeachment against Trump, and members will now have six hours to debate the resolution.

The articles concluded “Wherefore, President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will 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. President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.”

The House clerk is now reading the articles of impeachment against Trump on the floor, after which House members will have six hours to debate the resolution before tonight’s vote.

If the debate goes according to schedule, which (again) is a big assumption, the vote should take place around 7:30 p.m. E.T.

House adopts impeachment 'rule,' clearing the way for debate

The House has adopted the “rule” outlining the procedures for today’s debate on the impeachment resolution, with all but two Democrats (Collin Peterson and Jeff Van Drew) backing the motion.

Members will now have six hours to debate the impeachment resolution itself, split eqaully between the majority and the minority.

House votes to end debate on impeachment rule

House Democrats successfully approved a motion to end debate on the “rule” outlining procedures for today’s impeachment proceedings, clearing the way for a vote on the rule itself.

Two Democrats join Republicans in opposing procedural motion

Two House Democrats – Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, who has signaled he itnends to switch parties after the impeachment vote – joined Republicans in opposing a procedural motion to end debate on the “rule” outlining procedures today.

Van Drew dodged reporters’ questions yesterday when asked about switching parties, but he is expected to cast his votes today as a Democrat, helping Republicans to claim bipartisan opposition to impeachment.

But with the exceptions of Peterson and Van Drew, every House Democrat backed the procedural motion, proving how unified the caucus is on impeaching Trump.

Updated

Congressman Jeff Van Drew, the Democratic lawmaker who has signaled he will switch his party affilation to Republican over his opposition to impeachment, has arrived on the House floor after missing this morning’s procedural votes.

Collins confirms she is running for re-election

As House members vote on the “rule” outlining procedures for today’s impeachment proceedings, some campaign-related news is also unfolding.

Senator Susan Collins said in a letter to supporters this morning that she is running for reelection, confirming widespread expectations the Maine Republican would seek a fifth term.

“The fundamental question I had to ask myself in making my decision was this: in today’s polarized political environment, is there still a role for a centrist who believes in getting things done through compromise, collegiality, and bipartisanship?” Collins said in the letter. “I have concluded that the answer to this question is ‘yes,’ and I will, therefore, seek the honor of continuing to serve as Maine’s United States Senator.”

But Democrats have argued Collins has lost her centrist reputation by siding with Trump on controversial issues, such as the confirmation of Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Sara Gideon, the speaker of the Maine house and the frontrunner in the Democratic primary to face off against Collins, said in a statement that the longtime senator is no longer the centrist lawmaker the state has repeatedly elected.

“When Sen. Collins took office 22 years ago, she might have been different from other people in Washington, but it doesn’t seem that way anymore,” Gideon said. “These days, Sen. Collins seems more focused on serving the special interests that fund her campaigns than the Mainers who elected her.”

Updated

House begins vote series on debate procedures

Debate has now concluded on the “rule” outlining procedures for today’s impeachment proceedings, and House members have moved on to a vote series to adop the rule.

Democratic congressman Joe Kennedy used his floor speech to explain to his children why he intended to vote in favor of impeaching the president. “Dear Ellie and James: This is a moment that you’ll read about in your history books,” the Massachusetts lawmaker said.

As the president lashes out against Nancy Pelosi, some commentators have started recirculating this 2008 video, in which Trump commends Pelosi and suggests she should have tried to impeach George W. Bush.

“When [Pelosi] first got in and was named speaker, I met her,” Trump told CNN host Wolf Blitzer at the time. “And I’m very impressed by her. I think she’s a very impressive person, I like her a lot.”

Trump continued, “But I was surprised that she didn’t do more in terms of Bush and going after Bush. It just seemed like she was really going to look to impeach Bush and get him out of office. Which personally I think would have been a wonderful thing.”

Trump argued Bush should have been impeached for the “lies” he told before invading Iraq.

Trump has already tweeted a few dozen times this morning to slam the impeachment inquiry and speaker Nancy Pelosi as debate continues on the House floor.

The president has nothing on his public schedule this morning until he leaves for his Michigan campaign rally at 4:25 p.m. E.T., so more tweets will likely be forthcoming as the House takes up the articles of impeachment.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is sitting on the House floor as debate continues on the “rule” outlining procedures for today’s proceedings.

The vote on the “rule” should take place in about ten minutes. Once it is adopted, members will be given six hours to debate the impeachment resolution itself, split evenly between the majority and the minority.

Congressman Jeff Van Drew, the Democrat who has signaled he will switch his party affiliation to Republican over his opposition to impeachment, did not vote in this morning’s procedural motions.

House Republicans are trying to introduce more procedural motions to delay the vote, suggesting that debate on the articles of impeachment should be six hours longer than scheduled and that memebers should be made to cast votes manually, but Democrats have rejected the proposals.

Congressman Jim Clyburn, the House majority whip, delivered a floor speech outlining Democrats’ argument for impeachment.

“Today we have a president who seems to believe he is a king or above the law,” the longtime South Carolina lawmaker said.

Just outside the US Capitol, pro-impeachment protesters have found some fun, holiday-themed ways of expressing their displeasure with the president.

Walking to the House floor, Nancy Pelosi would only tell reporters she felt “sad” about today’s proceedings, echoing reports that the speaker has intstructed her Democratic caucus to treat today as a solemn occasion.

The sadness of today’s vote may be the only point of agreement between House Democrats and Republicans, as Tom Cole, the top Republican on the rules committee, made a similar comment on the floor.

The Republican minority whip, Steve Scalise, tried to raise a point of order, but Diana DeGette, the Democratic congresswoman presiding over today’s debate, ruled it to be out of order.

Debate has now begun on the “rule” establishing procedures for today’s impeachment proceedings.

'Rule' establishing procedures for impeachment proceedings called up for debate

Congressman Jim McGovern, the Democratic chairman of the House rules committee, has introduced the “rule” that will establish parameters for debate on the impeachment resolution.

House members will now have an hour to debate the rule before voting on the proposal, so it’s looking like an 11 a.m. E.T. vote before discussion can turn to the impeachment resolution itself.

The motion to table Kevin McCarthy’s resolution condemning Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler has succeeded, hopefully clearing the way (finally) for an hour of debate on the procedures for today.

True to form, the House of representatives is already behind schedule for today’s impeachment proceedings.

The optimistic estimate that the final vote on articles of impeachment would take place by 7:30 p.m. E.T. is feeling more unlikely by the minute.

The Democratic majority leader, Steny Hoyer, has now introduced a motion to table Kevin McCarthy’s resolution condemning Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler for their handling of the impeachment inquiry, triggering another 15-minute vote.

It appears Republicans are trying to delay the inevitable for as long as possible in the hope of forcing Democrats to take some uncomfortable votes before the all-important vote on articles of impeachment later tonight.

These procedural motions could disrupt the optimistic timeline of concluding today’s proceedings by 7:30 p.m. E.T., but they will not affect the end result. The day will end in Trump’s impeachment no matter how many technical maneuvers Republicans deploy.

Kevin McCarthy is calling for a vote on a resolution condemning the Democratic chairmen of the intelligence and judiciary committees, Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler, for their handling of the impeachment inquiry. This will also be rejected by the Democratic majority.

Well, not so fast. The Republican minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, is now offering a parliamentary question before the House begins debating the rules for today’s proceedings.

Updated

The Republican motion to adjourn before taking up the articles of impeachment has been defeated, clearing the way for debate to begin on the procedures for today’s historic proceedings.

House judiciary committee chairman Jerry Nadler is on the floor today, having returned from a last-minute trip to New York yesterday to attend to a family medical emergency.

Nadler’s absence from Washington yesterday meant that congressman Jamie Raskin, a former constitutional law professor, presented the Democrats’ argument for impeachment before the House rules committee.

A House Democratic aide provided more context on why congresswoman Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat who has served since 1997, is presiding over today’s debate.

Democratic congresswoman Diana DeGette is currently presiding over the House proceedings, but speaker Nancy Pelosi will take over when members vote on the articles of impeachment later tonight.

Pelosi will also deliver a floor speech tonight, which is a rarity for House speakers.

Once the motion to adjourn is defeated, House members will likely begin one hour of debate on the procedures adopted by the rules committee to set parameters for today’s proceedings.

As expected, House Republicans have put forth a motion to adjourn before considering the articles of impeachment, which will almost certainly be defeated.

House convenes for today's impeachment proceedings

The House has now convened for today’s proceedings, which will conclude with final votes on the two articles of impeachment against Trump.

House Republicans are expected to introduce a number of procedural motions, which could delay the final vote, but Democrats will be able to defeat those proposals with their majority power.

The House will convene in about 10 minutes to begin today’s proceedings, which will include several hours of debate on the impeachment resolution, but protesters have already gathered on Capitol Hill.

Congressman Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House intelligence committee who has been intensely criticized by Trump and his allies, encouraged his colleagues to “honor their oath” in today’s impeachment vote.

Nancy Pelosi has designated Democratic congresswoman Diana DeGette to serve as speaker pro tempore and preside over the House debate on the impeachment resolution.

DeGette, a Colorado lawmaker who has served in the House since 1997, said of the honor, “This is a sad and somber moment in our nation’s history and the responsibility to preside over this important debate is something I will not take lightly.”

Updated

The timing of today's vote

Following a marathon hearing yesterday, the House rules committee adopted debate procedures for today’s impeachment vote, which will likely not be finalized until this evening.

According to the rules passed by the committee, House members will have six hours to debate the impeachment resolution, split evenly between the majority and the minority.

The House is set to start today’s business at 9 a.m. E.T., but they have to take care of some housekeeping and formally adopt the rules before debating the actual impeachment resolution.

Assuming everything runs on time, which is a hefty assumption where the House of representatives is concerned, the final vote could come sometime between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. E.T.

Trump is scheduled to start his campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan, at 7 p.m. E.T., which means he could be on stage when he becomes only the third president in US history to be impeached.

Trump lashes out against Democrats and acknowledges likely impeachment

Trump has nothing on his public schedule today until he leaves for a Michigan campaign rally at 4.25 pm ET., and the president is already lashing out against his critics over Twitter.

Trump acknowledged the House would almost certainly impeach him, but he insisted he had done “NOTHING WRONG” and warned of the effect today’s vote would have on future presidents. “Say a PRAYER!” Trump wrote.

The request for his supporters to pray for the country is noteworthy, given that Trump sent a letter to Nancy Pelosi yesterday criticizing the House speaker for saying, “I pray for the President all the time.”

“Even worse than offending the Founding Fathers, you are offending Americans of faith by continually saying you pray for the President when you know this statement is not true, unless it is meant in a negative sense,” Trump wrote in his furious letter.

Updated

House expected to impeach Trump today

Good morning, live blog readers!

We have arrived. Today, the House of Representatives is expected to impeach Donald Trump, making him only the third president in US history to receive this ignoble honor.

An exterior view of the White House is seen December 18, 2019.
An exterior view of the White House is seen December 18, 2019. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images

The outcome of today’s House vote is all but certain, as a majority of members have said they intend to vote in favor of impeachment.

However, once they do, the case will move on to the Republican-controlled Senate, where Trump has already been guaranteed a much more favorable audience. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said yesterday he would not be an “impartial juror” in the trial to determine whether to remove Trump from office, calling impeachment a “political process.”

Even though the Senate trial will likely end in acquittal, nearly all the House Democrats from more conservative districts have said they plan to vote “yes” today, framing the issue as a matter of duty.

Democratic congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, whose Michigan district backed Trump by 7 points in 2016, wrote in an op-ed earlier this week, “Over the past few months, I’ve been told more times that I can count that the vote I’ll be casting this week will mark the end of my short political career. That may be.

”But in the national security world that I come from, we are trained to make hard calls on things, even if they are unpopular, if we believe the security of the country is at stake. There are some decisions in life that have to be made based on what you know in your bones is right. And this is one of those times.”

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