Nancy Pelosi's glare and more top impeachment moments from a historic day

Savannah Behrmann | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Nancy Pelosi gives stern glare after announcing Trump impeachment Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi gave a stern glare to some Democrats for cheering after Pelosi announced President Donald Trump had been impeached.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump joined an exclusive club Wednesday after becoming just the third President in United States history to be impeached by the House of Representatives.

After debating for more than six hours and then voting separately on two articles of impeachment, the House split largely along party lines to impeach Trump. But the voting happened only after lawmakers debated, jeered, and made historical references to prove Trump is being victimized.

Here are the top moments from Wednesday's historic vote:

Pelosi's opening: Trump 'gave us no choice'

Dressed in black and wearing a brooch of the Mace of the Republic, which symbolizes the authority of the House, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave a strong opening statement to begin the debate of the articles — which concluded in a standing ovation from Democrats.

“Our founders’ vision of a republic is under threat from actions from the White House,” she said. “If we do not act now, we would be derelict in our duty. It’s tragic the president’s reckless actions make impeachment necessary. He gave us no choice.”

More: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sports Mace of the Republic brooch during impeachment proceeding

More: House impeaches Donald Trump in historic vote, reshuffling U.S. politics on eve of 2020

As she spoke about the danger of foreign interference in U.S. elections, Pelosi stood next to a white poster board of a fluttering American flag with the words: “To the Republic for which it stands…” and recited the National Anthem.

The speaker also referenced quotes from the late Elijah Cummings, whom she refers to as the "north star."

Pelosi just quoted these memorable comments from the late Elijah Cummings during her #ImpeachmentDay speech https://t.co/FwBQMQixIp — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 18, 2019

"When the history books are written about this tumultuous era, I want them to show that I was among those in the House of Representatives who stood up to lawlessness and tyranny," Pelosi stated, quoting Cummings. "When we are dancing with the angels the question will be, what did we do to make sure we kept our democracy intact?"

Republicans hit back in opening

Leading off the GOP rebuttal, Georgia Rep. Doug Collins said the Founding Fathers were concerned about a partisan impeachment process in which the majority could do what it wants.

"This is not a solemn occasion. When you go looking for something for three years...you ought to be excited when you found it," Collins chastised. "Why do we keep calling this a solemn occasion when you've been wanting to do this ever since the gentleman [Trump] was elected?"

The House of Representatives has voted to impeach President Trump The House approved both articles President Trump was being accused of for impeachment, making him the third impeached president in U.S. history.

Ted Lieu's first impeachment proceeding appearance since heart surgery

Rep. Ted Lieu gave his first speech in the impeachment proceedings after returning from the hospital, and stated that "No one in America could do what Donald Trump did and get away with it."

More: ‘Help us all’: Tensions fill the Capitol as lawmakers debate historic impeachment of Trump

The outspoken member of the Judiciary Committee would have participated in the hearings last week but was absent after suffering sudden heart pains and undergoing surgery to implant a heart stent.

Dem. Rep. Ted Lieu: "No one in America could do what Donald Trump did and get away with it." https://t.co/hGjla0XsST pic.twitter.com/n9wfLkNmCN — ABC News (@ABC) December 18, 2019

“Whether Donald Trump leaves in one month, one year or five years, this impeachment is permanent, it will follow him around for the rest of his life and history books will record it. … It’s all very simple: No one is above the law,” Lieu proclaimed.

He said that he believes colleagues who aren’t supporting impeachment, such as Rep. Jeff Van Drew, said it’s “up to their conscience.”

“The facts are overwhelming that the president engaged in abuse of power and that what the president did was illegal,” he said. “What members of Congress choose to do with those facts, it's up to their conscience and the people they represent.“

Tulsi Gabbard votes 'present'

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, voted "present" instead of "yes" for impeaching Trump on both articles of impeachment.

Gabbard is running for the Democratic nomination to take Trump on in 2020. Her vote, or lack thereof, is notable as she is the only candidate to not support impeachment.

In a statement after her vote, she released a statement, claiming that after doing her "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.”

“I am standing in the center and have decided to vote Present. I could not in good conscience vote against impeachment because I believe President Trump is guilty of wrongdoing. I also could not in good conscience vote for impeachment because removal of a sitting President must not be the culmination of a partisan process, fueled by tribal animosities that have so gravely divided our country,” Gabbard said.

Earlier Wednesday, she introduced a resolution to instead censure Trump, which expresses strong disapproval of conduct, whereas impeachment could result in removal from office.

Pelosi's glare after announcing Trump had been impeached

Late Wednesday night, Pelosi took the podium to officially announce that Trump had been impeached on the first article.

She hit the gavel and announced the results, which drew a small number of cheers from Democrats. That didn't last long.

Pelosi quickly motioned to them in a way anybody who has been shushed in public immediately related to. She waved her hand and threw a glare. The room fell silent and the cheering was not repeated when she announced Trump had been impeached on the second article of obstructing Congress.

The look Nancy Pelosi gave her caucus when some Dems started to applaud after she announced the first article of impeachment passed is a look I know well as a fellow mom of five. pic.twitter.com/PWLT5aXqPQ — Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) December 19, 2019

Nadler clarifies for GOP: new president would be Pence, not Clinton

Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler had strong words for his Republican colleagues accusing Democrats of trying to rescind the outcome of the 2016 election.

“I would remind the gentleman that if President Trump is removed the new president would be Mike Pence, not Hillary Clinton,” Nadler curtly responded.

Some cheers and laughs could be overheard from the GOP side of the floor.

More: At the White House, mood of grim defiance as House debates Donald Trump impeachment

Rep. Jeff Van Drew sat with GOP but voted as Democrat against impeachment

Democratic Congressman Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, who announced he was against impeachment and might switch parties late last week, voted against both articles of impeachment.

During Wednesday's debate, he sat with his GOP colleagues in friendly conversation with them across the aisle from his old Democratic coworkers.

Schiff steps up to dais: GOP will 'rue the day'

Halfway through Wednesday’s floor debate, Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-CA, stepped up to the dais to summarize the testimony and characterize the president as someone consumed by personal advancement.

“He doesn’t care about Ukraine or the impact on our national security caused by withholding military aid to that country fighting for its democratic life,” he said. “All that matters to this president is what affects him personally: an investigation into his political rival and a chance to cheat in the next election.”

More: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sports Mace of the Republic brooch during impeachment proceeding

Later, Schiff turned to his GOP colleagues and chided them for choosing party over country.

“Many of my colleagues appear to have made their choice to protect the president, to enable him to be above the law, to empower this president to cheat again as long as it is in the service of their party and their power,” he said. “They have made their choice and I believe they will rue the day that they did.”

Later, he tried to rebut the Republican argument that there's no impeachable offense because Ukraine eventually received the delayed military funds.

“My colleagues continue to make the argument that the Ukrainians got the money,” Schiff said. “Yes, the president got caught but they got the money, no harm, no foul. It’s the equivalent of saying, `If you’re pulled over by a cop and you attempt to bribe the cop, and the cop doesn’t take the money but arrests you, where’s the crime in that?'”

Schiff's comments drew booing from the Republican side of the chamber.

Amash, who left the GOP over impeachment: 'It is our duty to impeach him.'

Former Republican turned Independent Congressman Justin Amash was congratulated by at least one Democratic lawmaker and shook hands with others after telling his colleagues the House has a duty to impeach Trump.

“His actions reflect precisely the type of conduct the framers of the Constitution intended to remedy through the power of impeachment,” Amash said.

Rep. @justinamash, who changed his party affiliation from Republican to Independent earlier this year, speaks in favor of impeaching President Trump in the House of Representatives https://t.co/jvoJe9aVUC pic.twitter.com/0jxhMVYyQK — Reuters (@Reuters) December 19, 2019

He was the only Republican in the House to call for Trump’s impeachment following the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 election and its aftermath earlier this year.

Amash said Wednesday that Trump abused and violated the public trust by soliciting the aid of a foreign power for his own personal and political gain.

Party leadership close hours of debate

After hours of debate, Democratic and Republican leadership closed out their side's arguments for and against impeaching Trump.

'Learn some history': Salem mayor rips Trump for comparing impeachment to witch trials

Louisiana Republican Steve Scalise, the Minority Whip, gave emotional remarks, ripping up paper and at times, showing visible anger.

He then accused Democrats of hating all Americans that voted for Trump in the 2016 election. Democrats responded by booing at him, and Republicans booed and shouted back at their Democrat colleagues.

Steve Scalise gets booed for claiming that Democrats hate Americans who voted for Donald Trump. #impeachmentday. pic.twitter.com/pj0xXtpXoO — Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) December 19, 2019

Next, Democratic Majority Leader Steve Hoyer gave calculated remarks for impeachment and recounted past instances of Republican courage, stating that, "We have seen Republican courage throughout our history ... Who among us, many years from now, will receive such praise as a man or woman of courage? Who will regret not having earned it?"

Hoyer also acknowledged Amash for his "courage," which caused his GOP colleagues to groan.

"We did not wish for it," the Maryland Democrat noted, bringing up that he and others in his party neglected to vote for impeaching Trump multiple times before. "We voted against it once, we voted against it twice, we voted against it three times as recently as July. We did not want it. However, the conduct of President Trump has forced our Constitutional Republic to protect itself."

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy declared that "Donald J. Trump is President of the United States. He is president today, he'll be president tomorrow, and he will be president when this impeachment is over."

Schiff was the last to speak for the Democrats before the full House voted. He quipped that “We used to care about democracy. We used to care about our allies.”

"You do not uphold our Constitution. You do not uphold your oath of office. I will tell you this - I will uphold mine. I will vote to impeach Donald Trump." he stated.

Contributing: Maureen Groppe, Bart Jansen, Christal Hayes, Ledyard King, Nicholas Wu