Dems move closer to impeaching Trump — and Republicans don’t budge Presented by

with help from Heather Caygle

IMPEACHMENT ENTRENCHMENT -- Dozens of hours of public testimony. Thousands of pages of witness interviews. Several new bombshells. And yet, while House Democrats are closer to impeaching President Donald Trump after two weeks of public hearings, they appear to be no closer to winning a single GOP vote for impeachment. “I think Dems may actually be closer to losing more Democrats,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told your Huddle host.

Take Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, a moderate Republican and retiring member who has been critical of Trump’s Ukraine communications. There had been hope among Democrats that he might vote for impeachment, but yesterday, Hurd finally showed his cards. While he said Trump’s behavior was “inappropriate” and “misguided,” Hurd said he didn’t see evidence of bribery or extortion and slammed Democrats for a partisan process.

And then there’s Rep. John Katko of New York, a Republican in a more competitive district and a former prosecutor. He, too, told your Huddle host yesterday that he has concerns with Trump’s phone call. But he said: “we’re talking about removing someone from office … Does this reach that very high impeachment power? I just don’t see it yet.” So it looks like even the most skeptical Republicans are shutting the door on impeachment. Expect a lot more GOP lawmakers to deploy the “inappropriate, but not impeachable” argument.

Of course, this could all change if members go back home to their districts and there’s a huge swing in public opinion over the next week. (Though a new poll from Emerson College shows support for impeachment is declining.) And some members — like GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois — have kept their cards close to their vest and dodged reporters in the hallways.

But it’s looking like we’re in the exact same spot we were two weeks ago: the House is likely to impeach Trump along party lines — and the Senate is almost certain to acquit. Much more on all this from Kyle and Andrew: https://politi.co/2reuCoV .

Related: “Questions over next steps as Judiciary moves into impeachment spotlight,” by Bres, Heather and Kyle: https://politi.co/35lybbm ; and “The Impeachment Witnesses Not Heard,” via the NYT’s Peter Baker: https://nyti.ms/35tR4cv .

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., questions former White House national security aide Fiona Hill, and David Holmes, a U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019, during a public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents. (Matt McClain/Pool via AP) | Matt McClain/Pool photo via AP

AFTER THE PARTY, IS THE AFTER PARTY -- Sources tell your Huddle host and Heather that there was a post-impeachment hearing happy hour at the Hawk 'N' Dove last night, hosted by none other than Daniel Goldman — the Democrats’ lawyer who led some of their questioning during the hearings. He and some very ecstatic looking staffers were spotted leaving the Capitol on their way to the bar — and Goldman stopped right before they exited to drop off his beer bottle in the trash. Pic of the happy hour sign.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR … “Pelosi to participate in CNN town hall as House weighs impeachment,” via Mark Preston of CNN: https://cnn.it/2Dj5K29 ; and “Inspector general report on FBI's Trump-Russia probe due out in December,” from Marianne and Darren Samuelsohn: https://politi.co/2QE90Nj .

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SUP WITH THE SENATE? -- GOP senators and the White House have started talking about what a Senate trial would look like, scooped Marianne, Burgess and Meredith McGraw. A group of Republicans met Thursday morning with White House counsel Pat Cipollone, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to discuss the parameters of impeachment. And they all agreed that the Senate should not immediately dismiss articles and should in fact hold a full trial. The story: https://politi.co/2KMd5v1 .

They also are eyeing a short timeline: around two weeks, per WaPo. Previously, there had been some speculation that Republicans would want a lengthy trial to keep 2020 Democrats in town and off the campaign trail. But Republicans also don't want to risk damaging Trump by letting a trial drag on too long. The dispatch from Seung Min Kim and Josh Dawsey: https://wapo.st/2XEHcKk .

Related: “Graham requests Biden-Ukraine records from State Department,” by Ben Shreckinger: https://politi.co/2qrW6Yb .

T.G.I.F.! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, November 22, where a recess break has *truly* never been more needed on Capitol Hill — and luckily, it also happens to coincide with the release of Disney+.

THURSDAY’S MOST CLICKED: The Daily Beast’s report on how Lev Parnas helped Rep. Devin Nunes' investigations was the big winner.

VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS -- Some lawmakers just didn’t want to miss out on the impeachment action. During the past two weeks, a devoted group of lawmakers who don’t sit on the House Intelligence Committee have flocked to the hearing room so they can sit through dozens of hours of testimony and secure their place on the sidelines of history. These members would often live tweet their play-by-plays of the hearing, snap selfies, and eagerly offer their commentary to reporters during the breaks.

Some lawmakers said they felt more like journalists at times. “I’ve been more of a reporter since I got out of the depositions,” quipped Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), one of Trump’s closest allies on Capitol Hill who attended every hearing. “I probably know what to look for, having sat through some 100 hours of depositions. You have an expectation of where [the questioning] is going, so it’s not my first, second or third rodeo.” Much more on the impeachment peanut gallery, from your Huddle host and Sarah: https://politi.co/2rkraJ6 .

Related: “Seven hours in the air with Sondland after he implicated Trump in his impeachment testimony,” by Zachary Cohen of CNN: https://cnn.it/2D9lmoM .

THE COLLINS CAMPAIGN -- Rep. Doug Collins will soon play a starring role in Trump’s impeachment defense in the House, and he’s already using it to audition for the Senate. Collins applied to be appointed to a Senate seat that will become vacant at the end of this year, but he is considering running in 2020 regardless. And positioning himself as a top Trump defender could boost his campaign — and Collins already has Trump's strong support. “I think people will see that I’m up here fighting for what I believe, I’m fighting for them, and I’m fighting for an administration that I think has been treated unfairly,” Collins said.

Collins, the GOP leader of the House Judiciary Committee, is expected to bring a different flavor to the impeachment proceedings than Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.). He is friendly, no-nonsense and energetic (he even bounces a rubber ball around the Capitol hallways.) And Collins, who speaks with a southern drawl at the speed of an auctioneer, has already fired off a letter to Judiciary Dems attacking them on process.

“I expect [him to bring] southern gentility with a steel backbone,” said Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.). But Collins has also carved out a reputation on Capitol Hill as a bipartisan deal-maker, and has seemed like a reluctant warrior at times. He even accepted an award for bipartisanship at the exact same time a partisan impeachment hearing was taking place. The profile from yours truly: https://politi.co/2QGKPxG .

Related: “Georgia Gov. Kemp Resists Pressure From Trump on Senate Appointment,” by WSJ’s Lindsay Wise: https://on.wsj.com/34hTKtC .

DEMS NOT GAGA FOR GABBARD -- Some rank-and-file Democrats are getting tired of Tulsi Gabbard’s attacks on the party. Gabbard is running for president and was on the 2020 debate stage this week, but has torched her own party and appealed to isolationists with her unorthodox views on foreign policy. She was even retweeted by the “Trump War Room,” demonstrating how her attacks on the Democratic party are playing on the right.

And Democrats are near their boiling point with her. When asked about Gabbard's candidacy Thursday, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) said: "Look at my face. I have nothing to say about Tulsi Gabbard." And Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) quipped: “She sort of seems to be filling a pretty strange lane. Is there a part of the party that hates the party?" Much more from Burgess and Marianne: https://politi.co/2ODIvET .

CHEWING GUM UPDATE … “No USMCA deal yet as window narrows for 2019 vote,” via Sabrina Rodriguez: https://politi.co/35lCxze .

WEEKLY WINNERS AND LOSERS -- It looks like the second phase of the impeachment probe is coming to a close, and there are plenty of moments and memes that will live on in our hearts (and history books) forever. So, who came out on top and who came out on bottom? Lets explore:

W: Impeachment reporters, who are doing yeoman’s work and putting in insane hours covering this critical moment in history. Some are even getting turned into viral sensations in the process! (And honorable mention to all the staffers with bosses closely involved in the impeachment process — we see you.)

L: Trump, who although has maintained his firewall of GOP support, has moved ever closer to impeachment — “an ugly word” he said he never thought he’d be associated with, making crystal clear how he feels about the situation (despite many in the GOP insisting impeachment would be good for his reelection chances.)





TRANSITIONS

Nothing today.

TODAY IN CONGRESS

The House and Senate are out.

AROUND THE HILL

Catching up on emails, TV shows, sleep and whatever else people missed this week.

TRANSITIONS

THURSDAY’S WINNER: Claude Marx was the first person to guess that INS vs Chadah was the Supreme Court case that declared the legislative veto unconstitutional.

TODAY’S QUESTION: From Claude: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a former wrestling coach at Ohio State University, is not the only former wrestler to be successful in politics. Name the two former Princeton University wrestling teammates who became Secretary of Defense. First person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: [email protected]

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Follow us on Twitter Melanie Zanona @MZanona