Democrats zero in on 'abuse of power' in impeachment inquiry
Pelosi is said to favor one sweeping charge related to Ukraine, but there's some debate about the need for additional charges.As Democrats continue closed-door depositions with critical witnesses and prepare to move to the next phase of public hearings, they are wrestling over which elements and evidence to bring in, which to leave out. The goal is to explain to the public the reasoning and relevance of any eventual impeachment charges.
U . S . congressional Democrats are pursuing a fast-moving impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump A senior White House official has said the aid was linked instead to a request that Ukraine look into a debunked conspiracy theory about foreign interference in the 2016 U . S
A meeting at the White House with Ukrainian officials is cut short when Gordon Sondland, the U . S . ambassador to the European Union, says he has an agreement with The House Judiciary Committee holds its first hearing in the impeachment inquiry while Trump attends a NATO conference in London.
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On Sept. 25, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi initiated an impeachment inquiry against President Trump, following a whistleblower complaint over his dealings with Ukraine.
(Pictured) An electronic billboard in the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco reads "IMPEACH" with an image of President Donald Trump on Oct. 15, in San Francisco, California.
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Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) arrives with Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA) to hear testimony from U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland behind closed-doors, as part of the impeachment inquiry led by the House Intelligence, House Foreign Affairs and House Oversight and Reform Committees on Oct. 17.
Republican protest delays impeachment testimony from Pentagon’s Ukraine expert
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper was expected to answer questions about the mechanics of U.S. security assistance for Ukraine.Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper was due to speak at 10 a.m. in a closed-door session about the mechanics of U.S. security assistance for Ukraine and the fallout from the White House’s decision to withhold it for several months over the summer. But her session was disrupted as it was about to begin, with members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus refusing to leave the area where impeachment witnesses have met with lawmakers.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces that the House is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry , saying, "No one is above the law." The House Judiciary Committee holds its first hearing in the impeachment inquiry while Trump was attending a NATO conference in London.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces that the House is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry , saying, "No one is above the law." The House Judiciary Committee holds its first hearing in the impeachment inquiry while Trump was attending a NATO conference in London.
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Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who previously said there was not enough evidence to impeach President Donald Trump, said in an interview Oct. 18 that the president should be impeached.
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Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney answers questions during a briefing at the White House Oct. 17 in Washington, DC. Mulvaney answered a range of questions relating to the issues surrounding the impeachment inquiry of U.S. President Donald Trump, and other issues during the briefing.
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Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., stops to speak to the media as he returns to a closed door meeting where Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, is being interviewed as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, on Oct. 17.
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Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump rally against the congressional impeachment inquiry outside the U.S. Capitol building, on Oct. 17.
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US Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland (C) arrives at the US Capitol on Oct. 17, in Washington, DC. Sondland will appear before Congress for a closed deposition on the Ukraine scandal.
Senate GOP braces for impeachment trial 'roller coaster'
Republicans are bracing for a high-stakes impeachment fight as soon as next month as a trial in the Senate looks all but inevitable. © Greg Nash Senate GOP braces for impeachment trial 'roller coaster' With House Democrats wading deeper into their ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Trump's interactions with Ukraine, GOP senators expect the House will ultimately pass articles of impeachment.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) already confirmed the Senate would hold a trial if the House's passes articles.
WASHINGTON, DC – Key dates in the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump : APRIL 21, 2019. President Donald Trump speaks with then-President-elect Volodymyr Zelenskiy to congratulate him on his election victory.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces that the House is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry , saying, "No one is above the law." The House Judiciary Committee holds its first hearing in the impeachment inquiry while Trump was attending a NATO conference in London.
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Minority Leader Chuck Schumer talks about the possible impeachment proceedings by the House of Representatives during a press conference after Senate policy luncheons on Capitol Hill on Oct. 16, in Washington, DC.
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Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) speaks to reporters after attending a closed door meeting at the U.S. Capitol, on Oct. 16.
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Michael McKinley, a former top aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, leaves Capitol Hill in Washington, on Oct. 16, after testifying before congressional lawmakers as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., right, and Education and Labor Committee Chairman Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., left, speak as they leave a news conference to unveil the College Affordability Act on Capitol Hill, on Oct. 15.
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Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., left, and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, right, return to a closed door meeting on Capitol Hill in on Oct. 15, where Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent testifies before congressional lawmakers as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
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George Kent, deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasian Affairs, arrives to testify at a closed-door deposition as part of the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill, on Oct. 15.
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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., speaks to reporters as he leaves a closed door meeting on Capitol Hill, on Oct. 15, as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent testifies before congressional lawmakers.
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The US President's former top Russia adviser, Fiona Hill (C) leaves after a deposition for the House Intelligence committee regarding an impeachment inquiry Oct. 14 in Washington, DC. Hill, who was subpoenaed by the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees for closed door depositions, is among the handful of current and former Trump administration members being interviewed this week by House panels.
6 highlights from Ukraine envoy Bill Taylor's 'explosive' testimony
Taylor's testimony raised serious concerns about Trump's denials of a quid pro quo.In his remarkable 15-page statement before delivered to Congress on Tuesday, Trump's top diplomat to the Ukraine painted a picture of both.
House Democrats and Republicans were divided on setting rules for the impeachment inquiry into President Trump . The resolution would make evidence public and also allow Mr. Trump ’ s legal team to mount a defense.CreditCredit And that is begin the official impeachment process in the U . S . House .
Democrats in the U . S . House of Representatives began an impeachment inquiry on Sept. 24 to determine whether President Donald Trump abused his office The contents of the call were revealed in a whistleblower complaint by an intelligence official. The testimony of current and former Trump
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Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), speaks to the media as Fiona Hill, former senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council, attends a closed door hearing at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 14 in Washington, DC.
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A Congressional aide carries a box of documents following Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) (R) on Capitol Hill on Oct. 14 in Washington, DC.
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Hundreds of activists marched from Times Square to Union Square on Oct. 13 in New York City.
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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he departs for travel to Minnesota from the South Lawn of the White House on Oct. 10. The president spoke about the impeachment investigation, the Turkish incursion into Syria, and the Giuliani associates arrested today at Dulles airport on charges of violating campaign finance rules.
Trump blasts 'Never Trump' Republicans as 'human scum'
President Trump on Wednesday excoriated so-called "Never-Trump Republicans" as "human scum" as he seeks to solidify Republican support of him amid an ongoing impeachment inquiry. "The Never Trumper Republicans, though on respirators with not many left, are in certain ways worse and more dangerous for our Country than the Do Nothing Democrats," Trump tweeted. "Watch out for them, they are human scum!"The Never Trumper Republicans, though on respirators with not many left, are in certain ways worse and more dangerous for our Country than the Do Nothing Democrats.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Key dates related to the Trump impeachment investigation: JULY 24, 2019. Special counsel Robert Mueller testifies before U . S . Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker visits Kyiv and meets with Zelenskiy and various Ukrainian political officials, according to a
A White House official said top aides believe today' s hearing was a win for President Trump and told him so as he was in between meetings with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed today' s first public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump . "What has come forth has further
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Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, left, arrives on Capitol Hill, on Oct. 11, in Washington, as she is scheduled to testify before congressional lawmakers on Friday as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
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Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, arrives for an expected meeting with former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, on Capitol Hill, on Oct. 11.
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Representatives Jim Jordan (R-OH) (L), ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, and Lee Zeldin (R-NY) (R) walk down the spiral staircase in the basement of the Capitol on Oct. 11. House Intelligence, House Foreign Affairs, House Oversight and Reform Committee are taking a deposition from former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch as part of the impeachment inquiry.
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Anti-Trump protesters hold a sign reading "impeachment" as they gather outside the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, ahead of a "Keep America Great" rally by President Trump, on Oct. 10.
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The subpoena from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to Energy Secretary Rick Perry, on Oct. 10, is photographed in Washington. House Democrats have subpoenaed Perry as part of their impeachment investigation into President Trump's dealings with Ukraine.
Defense Department official Laura Cooper to testify in impeachment inquiry about military aid to Ukraine
Congressional investigators want to ask Laura Cooper, who oversees Ukraine policy at the Pentagon, about the withholding of military aid to Ukraine.Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) arrives with Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA) to hear testimony from U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland behind closed-doors, as part of the impeachment inquiry led by the House Intelligence, House Foreign Affairs and House Oversight and Reform Committees on Oct. 17.
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Kevin Downing, right, attorney representing two Florida businessmen Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, leaves the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, on Oct. 10. Two Florida businessmen tied to President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani have been arrested on campaign finance violations resulting from a $325,000 donation to a political action committee supporting Trump's re-election.
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Thomas Zehnle, an attorney representing Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, leaves federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, on Oct. 10.
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President Donald Trump responds to a question from a reporter at an event for the signing of two executive orders aimed at greater governmental transparency at the White House, on Oct. 9, in Washington.
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Mike Pence answers questions from the press about the whistleblower and President Trump’s call with the president of Ukraine following his remarks on the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) at Manning Farms in Waukee, Iowa, Oct. 9.
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Two competing rallies try to block one another's signs during a brief moment of confrontation near Democratic U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams office, one seeking to support McAdams and one to criticize him for supporting the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, on Oct. 9, in West Jordan, Utah.
Democratic voters concentrate on candidates, not impeachment
AMES, Iowa (AP) — In the liberal strongholds of Des Moines' west side and the Iowa State University campus in Ames, not once was South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg asked by voters recently about the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. It's not that the investigation into the president's request for foreign help in his reelection effort is an afterthought for Democrats whose votes in Iowa will start the nominating process. Quite the opposite.
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James Evans, right, a supporters of President Donald Trump and Breanne Hughes, left, a supporter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams, of Utah, argue during two competing rallies, on Oct. 9, in West Jordan, Utah.
5 key lawmakers to watch as Congress sets ground rules for Trump impeachment inquiry
Five House members to watch as the House expects to vote on a resolution Thursday setting up the ground rules for an impeachment inquiry.At least 218 Democrats already have signaled their support for moving forward with the measure, enough to ensure its passage. The resolution is not an endorsement of whether Trump should be impeached but rather the establishment of ground rules to gather facts and interview witnesses that would help determine whether he committed an impeachable offense.
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Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event, on Oct. 9, 2019, in Rochester, N.H. For the first time, he called for the impeachment of Donald Trump saying, "Donald Trump has violated his oath of office, betrayed the nation, and committed impeachable acts."
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Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, arrives to give a statement to members of the media on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 8. The Trump administration barred Gordon Sondland, the U.S. European Union ambassador, from appearing before a House panel conducting the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.
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President Donald Trump speaks about the U.S. House impeachment investigation during a formal signing ceremony for the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement at the White House in Washington, on Oct. 7.
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An aerial view of the house of Mykola Zlochevsky, near Kyiv, Ukraine, owner of the gas company Burisma that hired Hunter Biden in 2014, on Oct. 6. Ukraine's chief prosecutor has announced a review of past cases against Zlochevsky.
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White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow speaks with reporters outside the White House, on Oct. 7, in Washington. Kudlow said that the U.S. has never raised former Vice President Joe Biden and his son during trade talks with China.
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A sticker calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump is adhered to a sign outside the U.S. Supreme Court building at the start of the court's new term on Oct. 7, in Washington, DC. With Chief Justice John Roberts in the lead, the court is scheduled to hear cases involving gun control, abortion, L.G.B.T. rights and immigration during this term.
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Rep. Adam Schiff (L) (D-CA) Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence walks to a meeting with Michael Atkinson, Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, at the the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 4, in Washington.
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President Donald Trump talks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, on Oct. 4, in Washington, D.C.
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Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community, arrives at the Capitol where he will go behind closed doors to be questioned about the whistleblower complaint that exposed a July phone call the president had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in which Trump pressed for an investigation of Democratic political rival Joe Biden and his family, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 4.
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U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin (R-NY) speaks to reporters as Kurt Volker, U.S. President Donald Trump's former envoy to Ukraine, is interviewed in nearby offices by staff for three House of Representatives committees as part of the impeachment inquiry into the president's dealings with Ukraine, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Oct. 3.
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Kurt Volker, a former special envoy to Ukraine, arrives for a closed-door interview with House investigators, as House Democrats proceed with the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 3.
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President Donald Trump speaks to the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 3, before boarding Marine One for a trip to Florida. He told reporters, "China should start an investigation into the Bidens because what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine."
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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is joined by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., at a news conference as House Democrats move ahead in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, at the Capitol in Washington on Oct. 2.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, joined by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., right, arrive for a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 2.
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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 2.
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters during a meeting with Finland's President Sauli Niinisto in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Oct. 2.
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John Dean, (L) former White House counsel under Richard Nixon, speaks during a town hall on impeachment with U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (R) (D-CA) at James Logan High School on Oct. 1, in Union City, California.
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The entrance to a secure facility used by the House Intelligence Committee is seen on Oct. 1.
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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., joined by Communications Director Emilie Simons, walks to a secure facility in the Capitol to prepare for depositions in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump on Oct. 1.
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A statue of former President Richard Nixon is on display along with those of other former vice presidents outside the Senate chamber in the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 1, in Washington, DC. Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974, after facing near-certainty that he would be impeached and removed from office.
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Tourists view the White House in Washington on Oct. 1, as House Democrats are moving aggressively in their impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media on Oct. 1, in Kiev, Ukraine.
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President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media as he departs a ceremonial swearing in ceremony for new Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Sept. 30.
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Vice President Mike Pence, President Donald Trump, and Defense Secretary Mark Esper, participate in an Armed Forces welcome ceremony for the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley on Sept. 30, at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va.
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Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, defended himself on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" from accusations lodged by a former White House official that he has trafficked unfounded theories about foreign interference in the 2016 presidential election, on Sept. 29.
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(L-R) Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO), Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM), Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) and Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) hold a news conference to mark 200 days since they passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on Sept. 27. Following the release of a whistle-blower complaint about abuse of power, the House Democratic leadership announced this week that it is launching a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.
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The first page of the unclassified memorandum of U.S. President Donald Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is shown on Sept. 27.
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Members of Congress and activists support an immediate inquiry towards articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the “Impeachment Now!” rally on Sept. 26, in Washington, D.C.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a weekly news conference on Capitol Hill on Sept. 26, in Washington, DC. Speaker Pelosi discussed an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
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Brett Heinz of Washington and other activists rally for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, on Sept. 26.
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Vermont Gov. Phil Scott speaks at a news conference on Sept. 26, in Essex Junction, Vt., where he said he supports an impeachment inquiry into the actions of President Donald Trump. Scott is the first Republican governor to publicly come out in favor of the impeachment inquiry, but says he wants to know the facts before any further actions are taken.
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Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y. holds up a copy of a White House-released rough transcript of a phone call between President Donald Trump and the President of Ukraine as Schumer speaks to the media about an impeachment inquiry on President Trump, on Sept. 25, on Capitol Hill.
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A woman hands out fake "special editions" of the Washington Post to passing pedestrians while taking part in a demonstration in support of impeachment hearings in New York, on Sept. 26.
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Ranking member Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., talks to Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, after Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testified before the House Intelligence Committee on Sept. 26.
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A member of the audience holds a copy of the whistle-blower complaint letter sent to Senate and House Intelligence Committees during testimony by Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire before the House Intelligence Committee on Sept. 26.
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A woman holds a sign about whistleblowers in a cafe near President Donald Trump’s motorcade as he attends a campaign fundraiser nearby in New York, on Sept. 26.
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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., questions Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire,as he testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 26.
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Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 26.
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Ranking Member Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., questions Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire as he testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 26.
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Joseph Maguire testifies on Sept. 26.
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U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) reacts after conferring with U.S. House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-CA) as Joseph Maguire, acting director of national intelligence, testifies during a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 26.
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Joseph Maguire prepares to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on the whistleblower complaint against President Trump on Sept. 26.
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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks during a weekly news conference on Capitol Hill on Sept. 26 in Washington. Leader McCarthy discussed an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., arrives at the Capitol, on Sept. 26, just as Joseph Maguire is set to speak publicly for the first time about a secret whistleblower complaint involving President Donald Trump.
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President Trump speaks during a news conference at the InterContinental Barclay New York hotel during the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 25. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo can be seen standing on the right.
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Pages of a White House-released rough transcript of President Donald Trump's July 25, 2019 telephone conversation with Ukraine's newly elected President Volodymyr Zelenskiy are seen on Sept. 25.
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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., talks to reporters on Sept. 25.
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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is surrounded by reporters as she arrives to meet with her caucus on Sept. 25.
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U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), chairman of House Judiciary Committee, arrives with Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) at a House Democratic Caucus meeting, on Sept. 25, in Washington.
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U.S. House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks as Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), and House Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) look on during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, on Sept. 25, in Washington.
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People stop to look at newspaper front pages, from around the US, on display at the Newseum in Washington, a day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry against President Trump, on Sept. 25.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces the House of Representatives will launch a formal inquiry into the impeachment of President Trump following a closed House Democratic caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Sept. 24.
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Protesters with "Kremlin Annex" call to impeach President Donald Trump in Lafayette Square Park in front of the White House in Washington, on Sept. 24.
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House Speaker Pelosi walks towards the podium to speak to the media to announce the formal impeachment, on Sept. 24.
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House Speaker Pelosi departs a closed-door meeting with the House Democratic Caucus as support grows within her ranks for an impeachment inquiry amid reports that President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his family, on Sept. 24.
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House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) leaves a meeting with House Speaker Pelosi and walks to a meeting with the House Democratic caucus to discuss launching possible impeachment proceedings against President Trump, on Sept. 24.
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Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden makes a statement on Ukraine during a press conference, on Sept. 24, in Wilmington, Delaware.
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Photo gallery by photo services
Oct 21 (Reuters) - U.S. congressional Democrats are pursuing a fast-moving impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, focused on whether he abused his power by pressuring Ukraine to launch an investigation against a key political rival.
Democrats allege Trump temporarily withheld $391 million in U.S. military assistance to Ukraine as a way to pressure the country into investigating former Vice President Joe Biden -- a possible 2020 election challenger. A senior White House official has said the aid was linked instead to a request that Ukraine look into a debunked conspiracy theory about foreign interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, involving a Democratic Party computer server.
Some key events related to the probe follow:
* MAY 20: Trump recalls U.S. Ambassador to the Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who was overseeing a U.S. anti-corruption policy to promote the rule of law in the country, from her post in Kiev.
* MAY 23: Trump orders administration officials to work with his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, on Ukraine. Giuliani, a private citizen, was trying to persuade Ukraine to investigate allegations of corruption Trump leveled against Biden -- a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination -- and his son, Hunter.
The White House then places three officials -- Trump donor and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Trump's then-special envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker -- in charge of Ukraine policy. The trio, who nickname themselves "the three amigos," sideline career diplomats.
* JULY 10: Misgivings about the direction of Ukraine policy and Giuliani's role boil over at the White House, when then-national security adviser John Bolton objects to an effort by Sondland and Giuliani to pressure Ukraine. He directs an aide to alert White House lawyers to their actions.
Bolton describes Giuliani as "a hand grenade who's going to blow everybody up," the aide, Fiona Hill, says in testimony reported in the U.S. media. Sondland raises the matter of investigations at a meeting, according to Hill. She and others take that to be a reference to the Bidens.
* JULY 25: Trump personally presses Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a phone call to investigate Biden and his son over the son's prior role as a director of a Ukrainian gas company. Trump also asks the Ukrainian to investigate the conspiracy theory about the 2016 U.S. election.
* AUG. 12: A career U.S. intelligence officer delivers a whistleblower complaint about the July 25 phone call to the chairmen of the intelligence committees of the Senate and House of Representatives.
* SEPT. 9: U.S. diplomats discuss via text messages concerns that military assistance to Ukraine was being withheld as a way to pressure the country into cooperating on the Biden probe. Sondland says Trump wanted to withhold the aid over concerns about corruption in Ukraine and denies there was a "quid pro quo" - a Latin phrase meaning something for something - of any kind.
* SEPT. 25: The Justice Department releases a summary of the Trump-Zelenskiy call. Trump and Zelenskiy meet in person for the first time at a U.N. gathering in New York.
* SEPT. 26: The House Intelligence Committee releases an unclassified version of the whistleblower complaint.
* OCT. 8: The White House refuses to cooperate with what it calls an "illegitimate, unconstitutional" impeachment inquiry, telling House Democrats in a letter that Trump and his administration cannot participate with the probe while fulfilling their "duties to the American people, the Constitution, the Executive Branch and all future occupants of the Office of the Presidency."
The administration attempt to block witness testimony soon crumbles, as a succession of current and former foreign affairs officials appear for depositions in the U.S. Capitol.
* OCT 10: Two businessmen who helped Giuliani - Ukraine-born Lev Parnas and Belarus-born Igor Fruman - are arrested by U.S. authorities for their alleged involvement in a scheme to illegally funnel money to a pro-Trump election committee and political candidates.
* OCT 17: Sondland tells congressional investigators that Trump himself had told him repeatedly that there was no quid pro quo. That same day, White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney tells a news conference that the aid was linked to Trump's request for an investigation involving the 2016 U.S. presidential election and a Democratic National Committee server alleged to be in Ukraine. Mulvaney later contradicted himself in a statement from the White House that ruled out a quid pro quo.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone and Cynthia Osterman)
5 key lawmakers to watch as Congress sets ground rules for Trump impeachment inquiry .
Five House members to watch as the House expects to vote on a resolution Thursday setting up the ground rules for an impeachment inquiry.At least 218 Democrats already have signaled their support for moving forward with the measure, enough to ensure its passage. The resolution is not an endorsement of whether Trump should be impeached but rather the establishment of ground rules to gather facts and interview witnesses that would help determine whether he committed an impeachable offense.