WASHINGTON – As House Democrats conducted another impeachment hearing, President Donald Trump lunched Thursday with a group of lawmakers who might well decide his political fate: Republican senators.
The meeting came after a rough week for Trump in the impeachment hearings in which his ambassador to the European Union and national security officials testified about the president's plan to extract a pledge to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in exchange for financial aid.
Live updates: Trump lashes out at Democrats before historic impeachment proceeding is set to begin
Democrats have called two diplomats whose testimony they see as key to making the case that the president improperly pressed Ukraine for investigations that could benefit him politically.President Trump lashed out at Democrats, contending the deck is stacked against him, hours before a historic, nationally televised impeachment hearing was set to begin Wednesday before the House Intelligence Committee.
Trump earlier appeared to appeal to the Republican-run Senate in a tweet in which he denounced House Democrats who are pursuing impeachment as "scum."
Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.
"Keep fighting tough, Republicans, you are dealing with human scum who have taken Due Process and all of the Republican Party’s rights away from us during the most unfair hearings in American History," Trump tweeted.
He added: "But we are winning big, and they will soon be on our turf."
Trump did not define "turf," but Republicans do control the Senate and would conduct a trial of Trump if House Democrats decide to impeach him.
Read: William Taylor's opening statement at impeachment hearing
Read: William Taylor's opening statement at impeachment hearing(Pictured) Donald Trump, accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaks on Oct. 23 in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, D.C.
The White House lunch meeting included at least two GOP senators – Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine – who have questioned Trump's dealings with Ukraine that are at the heart of the impeachment inquiry.
It was the latest event in a Trump outreach program to Republican lawmakers that began after the prospect of impeachment surfaced in mid-September.
Officials said Trump has probably spoken, either individually or in groups, with all 53 Republican senators – all jurors in a potential impeachment. Two officials discussed the outreach on condition of anonymity, citing the private nature of the meetings.
Several administration officials have said they would not be surprised if the Democratic-run House votes to impeach Trump, albeit with no Republican votes. Officials also said they expect the Republican Senate to acquit Trump and perhaps dismiss the case outright.
'He's working': White House says Trump is not watching first public impeachment hearing
President Trump is not watching the first day of impeachment hearings on television, according to his spokeswoman.Much of Washington came to a standstill on Wednesday morning to hear the opening exchanges in a day of testimony that could decide Trump’s fate.
Conviction and removal from office would require a two-thirds vote of the Senate; Republicans have 53 of the 100 seats in the Senate. That means impeachment advocates would need to flip at least 20 Republican senators.
Romney, a long-time rival of Trump, has criticized Trump for asking the president of Ukraine to investigate political rival Biden. Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, called Trump's actions "wrong and appalling."
Trump responded by calling Romney "a pompous ass," while allies described him as a fake Republican.
The two men also clashed during Trump's 2016 campaign. During the primary process, Romney cast the New York businessman as a threat to the Republican Party, while Trump branded Romney "a loser."
Yet, after his election, Trump interviewed Romney for the secretary of State job before nominating Rex Tillerson to the post.
As for a potential impeachment trial in the near future, Romney told USA TODAY last month that "I will study the law and the facts and on that basis make an informed judgment consistent with Constitutional duties."
Touting membership cards, Trump campaign steps up anti-impeachment Facebook ads
President Donald Trump's re-election campaign is ramping up a Facebook ad blitz.(Pictured) Donald Trump, accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaks on Oct. 23 in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, D.C.
House impeachment investigators are also looking into evidence that Trump halted military aid to Ukraine if it did not agree to investigate Biden and his son Hunter Biden, who had business interests in the state.
Collins, a moderate Republican senator, has said she will not comment on the evidence unless or until it comes before the Senate.
The Maine senator has criticized some of the president's tweets about the case.
“I think the president would be better served by not tweeting at all on the testimony,” Collins told WMTW-TV. “His attorneys will be representing him should this come to a trial in the Senate and that's the time for them to have their say on the president's behalf.”
Other Republican senators at the White House included Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky (a fierce critic of impeachment), Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Hoeven of North Dakota, James Lankford of Oklahoma, and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia.
The meeting also featured Johnny Isakson of Georgia, one of at least four Republican senators who do not plan to see re-election in 2020. Impeachment supporters have eyed those retiring senators as potential pickups, though White House officials expressed confidence that the party is united.
Meanwhile, future steps in the House impeachment inquiry are uncertain.
New testimony ties Trump more directly to Ukraine pressure campaign
The acting ambassador to Ukraine described a phone call in which the president checked on the status of “the investigations.”William B. Taylor Jr., the acting ambassador to Ukraine, told lawmakers that the phone conversation between the president and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland in Kyiv was overheard by one of his aides. Afterward, Sondland told the aide that Trump cared more about investigations of former vice president Joe Biden than other issues in Ukraine, Taylor said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not provide any timeline for where the inquiry goes after Thursday's hearing, including the question of whether Democrats would begin to draw up articles of impeachment.
National Security Council official Fiona Hill and State department official David Holmes testify before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Nov. 21, 2019 in a public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.
A man stops to look at newspaper front pages from around the U.S. on display at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, 2019. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced on Sept. 24, 2019 she will launch a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. A whistleblower's complaint alleged President Trump pressured the president of Ukraine to investigate his Democratic rival Joe Biden.
President Donald Trump rails against journalists asking questions about an impeachment inquiry during a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in the East Room of the White House on Oct. 2, 2019 in Washington, D.C.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California reads a statement announcing a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 24, 2019.
The White House released on Sept. 25, 2019, a memorandum of the phone call, one day after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced a formal impeachment inquiry due to a whistleblower complaint regarding the call.
During the July 25, 2019, call with Trump, Zelensky said "We are ready to continue to cooperate for the next steps specifically we are almost ready to buy more Javelins from the United States for defense purposes." According to the whistleblower complaint, "on July 18, an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) official informed Departments and Agencies that the President 'earlier that month' had issued instructions to suspend all U.S. security assistance to Ukraine." Seen here, Australian Army soldiers fire a Javelin anti-tank missile during Exercise Chong Ju at the Puckapunyal Military Area on May 9, 2019 in Seymour, Australia.
A member of the audience holds a copy of the whistleblower complaint letter sent to Senate and House Intelligence Committees during testimony by Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire before the House Intelligence Committee in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 26, 2019.
The whistleblower alleges that Trump had demanded Ukrainian investigations into Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden's business involvement in Ukraine. Seen here, then U.S. Vice President Joe Biden tours a Hutong alley with his son Hunter Biden in Beijing, China, on Dec. 5, 2013.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y. holds up a copy of a rough transcript of a phone call between President Donald Trump and the President of Ukraine released by the White House. Schumer was speaking to the media about an impeachment inquiry of Trump on Sept. 25, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Joseph Maguire, acting Director of National Intelligence, testifies about his decision to not share a whistleblower complaint in front of the House Select Committee on Intelligence on Sept. 26, 2019 in Washington, D.C.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets the media in Rome on Oct. 2, 2019. Pompeo confirmed that he was on the telephone call between Trump and the Ukrainian president that is the subject of an impeachment inquiry. "I was on the phone call," Pompeo told reporters in Rome.
Central to the investigation is the effort by Giuliani to have Ukraine conduct a corruption probe into Joe Biden and his son's dealings with a Ukrainian energy company. Trump echoed that request in the July 25, 2019, call with Ukraine's president. Giuliani says he'd only cooperate with the House impeachment inquiry if his client agreed. In this May 5, 2018, file photo, Rudy Giuliani speaks at an event in Washington.
Trump and Zelensky met in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 25, 2019.
Week 2 Of Public Impeachment Hearings: Who's Testifying And When
After a whirlwind first week of public hearings in the impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump, the House Intelligence Committee is preparing to hear from a whopping eight more witnesses this week. Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, is sworn in to testify before a House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Nov. 15.
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch was recalled to Washington for "consultations" on April 29, 2019. The whistleblower complaint cited a Rudy Giuliani interview with a Ukrainian journalist published on May 14, 2019, where he stated that Yovanovitch was "removed ... because she was part of the efforts against the President." Seen here, Yovanovitch, center, sits during her meeting with then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 6, 2019.
Zelensky, left, shakes hands with Vice President Mike Pence in Warsaw, Poland on Sept. 1, 2019. A Washinton Post article published on Oct. 2, 2019, reported Trump used Pence in his attempt to pressure the new Ukrainian president to dig up dirt on Joe Biden, but is not conclusive on how much Pence knew about Trump's efforts.
Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson arrives for a closed meeting of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence regarding a whistleblower complaint on Sept. 26, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Atkinson found that the complaint appeared credible Aug. 26, after a preliminary review.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., joins Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., right, at a news conference as House Democrats move on depositions in the impeachment inquiry of Trump, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 2, 2019.
State Department Inspector General Steve Linick departs the Capitol on Oct. 2, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Linick reportedly met with congressional officials to brief them on information related to the impeachment inquiry centered around Trump.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., holds up documents as he talks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. Raskin talked with reporters after attending a closed-door briefing with the State Department inspector general.
A U.S. Capitol Police officer stands at the entrance to a secure area during closed-door interviews with Kurt Volker, a former special envoy to Ukraine, as House Democrats proceed with the impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump, at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 3, 2019.
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, Oct. 4, 2019.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence Committee arrives at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 8, 2019 in Washington, DC. Schiff spoke on reports that the Trump administration has blocked the testimony of U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland in the House impeachment inquiry.
Fiona Hill, former senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council, walks out of the U.S. Capitol after a closed door hearing, Oct. 11, 2019 in Washington, DC. Hill is the first former White House official to testify in the House's formal impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) talks to the media after a closed session before the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees Oct. 15, 2019 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.
From left, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa., Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., and Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, pose for a group photo on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 16, 2019, outside the room where people are interviewed for the impeachment inquiry.
Kurt Volker, a former special envoy to Ukraine, leaves a closed door meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 16, 2019, after testifying before congressional lawmakers as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
Michael McKinley, a former top aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, leaves Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 16, 2019, after testifying before congressional lawmakers as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. McKinley told lawmakers he quit his State Department position because of growing frustration with Pompeo's refusal to defend career diplomats who felt sidelined by Giuliani's pressure campaign in Ukraine, according to multiple media reports.
US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, center, arrives for a joint interview with the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 17, 2019. Sondalnd told the House impeachment panel investigating President Donald Trump that he was disappointed that he had to consult with the president's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine policy.
Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney answers questions during a briefing at the White House Oct. 17, 2019 in Washington, DC. Mulvaney acknowledged that aid to Ukraine at the center of a House impeachment inquiry was withheld in part because of the president's desire for the country to investigate potential corruption regarding U.S. domestic politics.
House Republicans gather for a news conference after Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper arrived for a closed door meeting to testify as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Trump, Oct. 23, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Staffers deliver pizza to a closed session before the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees on Capitol Hill on Oct. 23, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, arrives at a closed session before the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees Oct. 29, 2019 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Vindman was on Capitol Hill to testify to the committees for the ongoing impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.
House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., joined at left by Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., presides over a markup of the resolution that will formalize the next steps in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 30, 2019.
Catherine Croft, a State Department adviser on Ukraine, departs a secure area of the Capitol after a closed door meeting where she testified as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Oct. 30, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
hristopher Anderson, center left, a State Department Foreign Service officer, arrives for a closed door meeting to testify as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 30, 2019.
Former top national security adviser to President Donald Trump, Tim Morrison, arrives for a closed door meeting to testify as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 31, 2019.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. gavels as the House votes 232-196 to pass resolution on impeachment procedure to move forward with procedures for the next phase of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump in the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 31, 2019. The resolution would authorize the next stage of impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, including establishing the format for open hearings, giving the House Committee on the Judiciary the final recommendation on impeachment, and allowing President Trump and his lawyers to attend events and question witnesses.
The US House of Representatives votes on a resolution formalizing the impeachment inquiry centered on President Donald Trump, Oct. 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. Congress formally opened a new, public phase of its presidential investigation as lawmakers voted for the first time to advance the impeachment process against Donald Trump. The chamber voted largely along party lines, 232 to 196, to formalize the process, which also provides for opportunities for Trump's counsel to cross-examine witnesses.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) (C), speaks during a news conference after the close of a vote by the U.S. House of Representatives on a resolution formalizing the impeachment inquiry centered on U.S. President Donald Trump Oct. 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. The resolution, passed by a vote of 232-196, creates the legal framework for public hearings, procedures for the White House to respond to evidence and the process for consideration of future articles of impeachment by the full House of Representatives.
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale (C) departs the U.S. Capitol after giving a closed-door deposition to the House committees conducting the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump Nov. 6, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., responds to reporters at the Capitol after he threatened to reveal the name of the Ukraine whistleblower who helped initiate the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump by providing details of Trump's call with the Ukrainian president, in Washington, Nov. 6, 2019.
Jennifer Williams, a special adviser to Vice President Mike Pence for Europe and Russia who is a career Foreign Service officer, arrives for a closed-door interview in the impeachment inquiry on President Donald Trump's efforts to press Ukraine to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden, at the Capitol in Washington, Nov. 7, 2019.
State Department Ukraine-Russia expert George Kent, left, and William B. Taylor, Jr., the top American diplomat in Ukraine are sworn in on Nov. 13, 2019 ahead of testifying before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence as the first witnesses in public congressional hearings in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.
Top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine William Taylor, and career Foreign Service officer George Kent, both to the right, are sworn in before they testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 13, 2019, during the first public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents. Committee members are seated left.
From left, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif. and ranking member Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., listen as Steve Castor, Republican staff attorney for the House Oversight Committee addresses Former Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch on Nov. 15, 2019 during testimony before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in a public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals
Demonstrators hold signs outside Longworth House Office Building after former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testified to the House Intelligence Committee, Nov. 15, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington, in the second public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents.
Barber John Enea, right, gives Kenneth Gary a hair cut as the public hearing of Donald Trump's impeachment investigation is shown on a television at the Expo Barber Shop in the Financial District of Manhattan, Nov. 13, 2019. The U.S. House launched the first public hearing Wednesday of Donald Trump's impeachment investigation, the extraordinary process to determine whether the 45th president of the United States should be removed from office.
Journalists file after the arrival of the two witnesses,, Nov. 13, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington, during the first public impeachment hearings of President Donald Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents.
Golden Doodle therapy dog, 'Blue,' greets Congressional staff during a "Meet the Pets: Destress with Post-Election Therapy Dogs" event on Nov. 13, 2019 in Washington, DC. Pet Partners and the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) organized the event to offer congressional staff a stress break and to share stories of how therapy animals help people of all ages in many settings. Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, in the first public impeachment hearings in more than two decades, House Democrats are trying to build a case that President Donald Trump committed extortion, bribery or coercion by trying to enlist Ukraine to investigate his political rival in exchange for military aide and a White House meeting that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky sought with Trump.
Live testimony of the House impeachment hearings against President Donald Trump is shown on a television at the Billy Goat Tavern on Nov. 13, 2019 in Chicago, Ill. In the first public impeachment hearings in more than two decades, House Democrats are making a case that U.S. President Donald Trump committed extortion, bribery or coercion by trying to enlist Ukraine to investigate political rivals in exchange for military aid and a White House meeting that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky sought with Trump.
Pedestrians stroll by as demonstrator hold a sign outside Longworth House Office Building, where former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch is testifying to the House Intelligence Committee, Nov. 15, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington, in the second public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents.
Daniel Goldman, director of investigations for the House Intelligence Committee majority staff, left, addresses Former Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch on Nov. 15, 2019 as she testifies before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in a public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. is seen at right.
William B. Taylor, Jr., the top American diplomat in Ukraine arrives to testify before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Nov. 13, 2019 as the first witnesses in public congressional hearings in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.
Demonstrators kneel near large banners on the lawn adjacent to the U.S. Capitol, while a top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine William Taylor, and career Foreign Service officer George Kent, testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019, during the first public impeachment hearings of President Donald Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents.
Ranking member Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., left, looks on as Steve Castor, Republican staff legal counsel of the House Oversight Committee questions William B. Taylor, Jr., the top American diplomat in Ukraine along with State Department Ukraine-Russia expert George Kent during testimony on Nov. 13, 2019 before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence as the first witnesses in public congressional hearings in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.
Former Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch testifies before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Nov. 15, 2019 in a public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.
Jennifer Williams, a foreign policy aide to Vice President Mike Pence, and Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a Ukraine expert for the National Security Council, testify on Nov. 19, 2019.
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a Ukraine expert for the National Security Council, testifies on Nov. 19, 2019 before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in a public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.
Briefing books related to the impeachment hearing are displayed as Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman (C), National Security Council Director for European Affair and Jennifer Williams, adviser to Vice President Mike Pence for European and Russian affairs, testify before the House Intelligence Committee in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill Nov. 19, 2019 in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony during the third day of open hearings in the impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Donald Trump, who House Democrats say withheld U.S. military aid for Ukraine in exchange for Ukrainian investigations of his political rivals.
Jennifer Williams, a foreign policy aide to Vice President Mike Pence, delivers opening remarks as she testifies on Nov. 19, 2019 before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
A transcript of a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is displayed as Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, National Security Council Director for European Affair and Jennifer Williams, adviser to Vice President Mike Pence for European and Russian affairs, testify before the House Intelligence Committee in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill Nov. 19, 2019 in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony during the third day of open hearings in the impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Donald Trump, who House Democrats say withheld U.S. military aid for Ukraine in exchange for Ukrainian investigations of his political rivals.
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, center, a Ukraine expert for the National Security Council, returns to the hearing room during a break in testimony on Nov. 19, 2019 before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Gordon Sondland, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, is sworn in as he testifies before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Nov. 20, 2019 in a public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.
Gordon Sondland, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, arrives to testify before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Nov. 20, 2019 in a public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.
Gordon Sondland, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, testifies before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Nov. 20, 2019 in a public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.
Defense Department official Laura Cooper and David Hale, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, are sworn before they testify before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
11/20/19 5:39:25 PM -- Washington, DC -- Defense Department official Laura Cooper and David Hale, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, testify before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in a public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals. -- Photo by Jack Gruber, USA TODAY Staff
11/20/19 6:03:14 PM -- Washington, DC -- Defense Department official Laura Cooper gives her opening statement as she testifies before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in a public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals. -- Photo by Jack Gruber, USA TODAY Staff
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, waits to testify before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in a public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.
National Security Council official Fiona Hill and State department official David Holmes are sworn in before they testify before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Nov. 21, 2019.
State department official David Holmes testifies before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Nov. 21, 2019.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump meets with Romney, Collins, other Republican senators at White House during impeachment hearing
Long Before Trump, Impeachment Loomed Over Multiple Presidents .
While only three previous presidents faced serious threat of removal, one out of four confronted formal accusations in the House.Eleven days later, in a letter to his children, he quoted a Democratic senator telling him that “if it is drawn out,” he should “be prepared for some in Congress to file impeachment papers.” On the day the war began, a Democratic congressman did just that, introducing a resolution of impeachment accusing him of “conspiring to commit crimes against the peace.
Topical videos:
Trump Calls For Mitt Romney’s Impeachment After Criticism | Sunday TODAY
Key GOP senators are starting to publicly break with President Donald Trump amid the impeachment inquiry. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports for Sunday TODAY.
Trump on impeach inquiry: 'I sort of thrive on it'
US President Donald Trump says the impeachment inquiry is a "scam" that is driving his poll numbers higher and he says he sort of thrives on it, but admits it ...
Here are five things to look for as the House Intelligence Committee begins public hearings in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump , on Oct. 30. 19/73 SLIDES © Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Christopher Anderson (C), a State Department employee arrives for a closed-door deposition at the US Capitol, on Oct. 30. 20/73 SLIDES © Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks to reporters outside the House Intelligence Committee SCIF as U.S. 
Democrats have called two diplomats whose testimony they see as key to making the case that the president improperly pressed Ukraine for investigations that could benefit him politically.President Trump lashed out at Democrats, contending the deck is stacked against him, hours before a historic, nationally televised impeachment hearing was set to begin Wednesday before the House Intelligence Committee. 
Read: William Taylor's opening statement at impeachment hearing(Pictured) Donald Trump, accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaks on Oct. 23 in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. 
President Trump is not watching the first day of impeachment hearings on television, according to his spokeswoman.Much of Washington came to a standstill on Wednesday morning to hear the opening exchanges in a day of testimony that could decide Trump’s fate. 
President Donald Trump's re-election campaign is ramping up a Facebook ad blitz.(Pictured) Donald Trump, accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaks on Oct. 23 in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. 
The acting ambassador to Ukraine described a phone call in which the president checked on the status of “the investigations.”William B. Taylor Jr., the acting ambassador to Ukraine, told lawmakers that the phone conversation between the president and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland in Kyiv was overheard by one of his aides. Afterward, Sondland told the aide that Trump cared more about investigations of former vice president Joe Biden than other issues in Ukraine, Taylor said. 
Here are five things to look for as the House Intelligence Committee begins public hearings in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump , on Oct. 30. 19/73 SLIDES © Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Christopher Anderson (C), a State Department employee arrives for a closed-door deposition at the US Capitol, on Oct. 30. 20/73 SLIDES © Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks to reporters outside the House Intelligence Committee SCIF as U.S.
© DON EMMERT, AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump and Mitt Romney in November of 2016. 
After a whirlwind first week of public hearings in the impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump, the House Intelligence Committee is preparing to hear from a whopping eight more witnesses this week. Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, is sworn in to testify before a House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Nov. 15. 
5 things to look for as public hearings begin in the House impeachment inquiry 
Live updates: Trump lashes out at Democrats before historic impeachment... 
Read: William Taylor's opening statement at impeachment hearing 
'He's working': White House says Trump is not watching first public... 
Touting membership cards, Trump campaign steps up anti-impeachment Facebook... 
New testimony ties Trump more directly to Ukraine pressure campaign 
Week 2 Of Public Impeachment Hearings: Who's Testifying And When 
Long Before Trump, Impeachment Loomed Over Multiple Presidents 
