Day in Impeachment: Senate Issues a Summons to President Trump The summons, issued after senators took a vow to “do impartial justice,” informs the president of the charges and allows him to respond. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 2:28 - 0:00 transcript Impeachment Highlights: Senate Lays Groundwork for Trial House impeachment managers read the charges against President Trump to the Senate, and senators took an oath, vowing to do “impartial justice.” “It is a sad day for America, and yesterday was one when we were given no choice but to send to the Senate two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump, the president of the United States. We saw a strong case — an infallible, undeniable case — for the impeachment of the president. So no future president would ever think that she or he could get away with what President Trump has been getting away with.” “The hour of 12 noon having arrived, and a quorum being present, the sergeant-at-arms will present the managers on the part of the House of Representatives. The sergeant-at-arms will make the proclamation.” “Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye. All persons are commanded to keep silent on pain of imprisonment, while the House of Representatives is exhibiting to the Senate of the United States articles of impeachment against Donald John Trump, president of the United States.” “The House will now proceed. The escort committee will now conduct the chief justice of the United States to the dais to be administered the oath.” “Senators, I attend the Senate in conformity with your notice for the purpose of joining with you for the trial of the president of the United States.” “Do you solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, president of the United States, now pending, you will do impartial justice, according to the Constitution and the laws, so help you God?” “I do.” “The clerk will call the names in groups of four, and senators will present themselves at the desk to sign the oath book.” House impeachment managers read the charges against President Trump to the Senate, and senators took an oath, vowing to do “impartial justice.” Credit Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times The Senate opened only the third presidential impeachment trial in history, swearing in the chief justice of the United States, John G. Roberts Jr., as the presiding officer as senators took an oath to render “impartial justice.” Senators then signed a book signifying that they had taken the vow.

The Senate issued a formal summons for President Trump, informing him of the charges and inviting him to respond by Saturday evening. Senators set a series of deadlines for Mr. Trump’s team and the House managers, and adjourned the trial for a long weekend. Behind closed doors, Senator Mitch McConnell and his aides were working to finish a resolution that would establish the contours of the first phase of the trial.

Representative Adam B. Schiff, the lead House impeachment manager, read the articles of impeachment against Mr. Trump aloud in the Senate chamber, laying out the case against him. Here are the key moments so far today.

Jan. 16, 2020, 6:11 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 6:11 p.m. ET By Susan Collins says she will ‘likely’ vote to call witnesses. Senator Susan Collins of Maine, one of the Senate’s most moderate Republicans, indicated after the start of the trial on Thursday that she would be inclined to vote in favor of new witness testimony, but only after opening arguments and senatorial questions were completed. The statement went farther than Ms. Collins had before, and was sure to please Democrats who have been feverishly arguing in favor of live witness testimony at the trial and compelling new evidence. “While I need to hear the case argued and the questions answered, I tend to believe having additional information would be helpful,” she said in a statement. “It is likely that I would support a motion to call witnesses at that point in the trial just as I did in 1999.” Ms. Collins cautioned she would need to hear arguments from the House managers and the defense about witnesses they would like to call before making a decision about any particular witness. It would take four Republicans joining with every Democrat to cobble together a majority of senators needed to summon a given witness.

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Jan. 16, 2020, 4:59 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 4:59 p.m. ET By Pence weighs in on Trump’s mood. In a brief interview aboard a campaign bus, Vice President Mike Pence said that he had spoken to the president and that Mr. Trump’s attention was more focused on the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, legislation that occupies a bipartisan presence in the polarized impeachment proceedings. “I’m just glad we got it done,” Mr. Pence said.

Jan. 16, 2020, 4:43 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 4:43 p.m. ET By McConnell drafts rules for the trial. Image Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, leaving the Senate chamber after being sworn in by Chief Justice John G. Roberts on Thursday. Credit... T.J. Kirkpatrick for The New York Times Out of public view, Mr. McConnell and his aides were working to complete a resolution that would set the parameters for the first phase of the trial and be put up for a vote on Tuesday. Democrats plan to oppose it en masse because it does not guarantee that witnesses can be called and new evidence admitted, and they will propose amendments during Tuesday’s debate to try to change that. But there are tensions over how to proceed among Republicans, too, with the conference’s moderate and conservative wings at odds over whether to try to dismiss the case altogether — an idea Mr. Trump has endorsed. A draft of Mr. McConnell’s resolution reviewed this week by Republican officials would ensure that after opening arguments and time for senators’ questions, the Senate takes up or down votes on hearing testimony from witnesses proposed by the House impeachment managers and the president’s defense team. That decision is considered a victory for moderates. But it does away with a guaranteed vote on a motion to dismiss the case after opening arguments, an omission that has rankled some conservatives. A dismissal provision was included in the 1999 rules for President Bill Clinton’s trial, which Mr. McConnell has cited as a model for his own resolution. As of now, Mr. McConnell’s leadership team believes it will have the votes to pass the resolution on a party-line basis. They have argued it is better for Mr. Trump for the trial to run its course and for senators to acquit him rather than dismiss the charges prematurely. A failed motion to dismiss the charges could set a grim tone for the proceedings, and a vote on the matter could pose a dilemma for some politically vulnerable Republicans. The resolution may include other changes from Mr. Clinton’s impeachment trial as well, according to people who reviewed it. Republicans could pare down the amount of time the House managers and the president’s lawyers have to argue their cases on the Senate floor, to move the proceeding along more quickly. Read more

Jan. 16, 2020, 4:28 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 4:28 p.m. ET Senator Bernie Sanders ‘would rather be in Iowa.’ Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who is a leading Democratic candidate for president, has not been around the Senate much lately. On Thursday, shortly after taking the oath to do “impartial justice” in President Trump’s impeachment trial, he confessed there were places he would rather be. “I would rather be in Iowa today, there’s a caucus there in two-and-a-half weeks,” he said, after being asked whether he was concerned the trial would do damage to his presidential campaign. “I’d rather be in New Hampshire and in Nevada and so forth. But I swore a constitutional oath as a United States senator to do my job and I’m here to do my job, and I think the people of the United States understand that.”

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Jan. 16, 2020, 4:03 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 4:03 p.m. ET By Schumer vows to immediately push to hear from witnesses. Image Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, at a press conference Thursday on Capitol Hill. Credit... Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, said Thursday that as soon as President Trump’s impeachment trial reconvened on Tuesday, he would immediately call for a vote to subpoena witnesses and documents. “We expect that we will have votes on these witnesses Tuesday,” Mr. Schumer told reporters, referring to four witnesses Democrats have asked for: John R. Bolton, Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser; Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff; Robert Blair, a top aide to Mr. Mulvaney; and Michael Duffey, a top budget official. The four men, Mr. Schumer said, have direct knowledge of Mr. Trump’s decision to withhold $391 million in military aid to Ukraine while pressing that country’s leader to investigate the president’s political rivals. Mr. Schumer’s motion is all but certain to fail: Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, is expected to offer an organizing resolution that would allow for a vote on witnesses and documents after both sides have presented their cases rather than at the outset, as Mr. Schumer wants. Mr. Schumer also complained that Mr. McConnell has yet to show him the organizing resolution. “At this moment, we still haven’t seen it!” Mr. Schumer said. Read more

Jan. 16, 2020, 3:02 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 3:02 p.m. ET By The Senate issues a summons to President Trump to answer to the charges. Shortly after senators took an oath to do “impartial justice,” the body unanimously moved to issue a summons to President Trump notifying him of their trial and the charges against him. The summons requires the president to respond in writing by Saturday evening. Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, then moved to set up a series of deadlines so that when senators return on Tuesday, they can proceed to the substance of the trial. The Senate adjourned and will not reconvene until Tuesday at 1 p.m. If they wish, the House impeachment managers and the president’s legal team are allowed to file written trial briefs laying out their arguments for and against conviction. The House’s will be due at 5 p.m. Saturday, and the White House’s by noon on Monday. The House can then submit a rebuttal by Tuesday at noon. The House will also be allowed to file a “replication,” or response, to Mr. Trump’s answer to the summons by noon Monday. When the trial resumes, the Senate will vote on additional procedural rules to govern the first part of the trial and then could move as soon as Wednesday to hearing oral arguments. “The Senate sitting as court of impeachment is adjourned until Tuesday, January 21 at 1 p.m.” Chief Justice Roberts said. Read more

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Jan. 16, 2020, 2:44 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 2:44 p.m. ET By In Iowa and Florida, cheers for Trump. Image Supporters of President Trump praying before a Women for Trump campaign event in Sioux City, Iowa on Thursday. Credit... Brenna Norman/Reuters As the ceremonial and solemn affair of President Trump’s impeachment trial began in Washington, several high-profile campaign and administration officials hit the road to promote red-meat issues as counterprogramming. In Iowa, a women for Trump bus tour featuring the president’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, was underway, and in Florida — the president’s new home state — Vice President Mike Pence climbed aboard his own tour bus and traveled to meet with a mostly-white crowd of about 750 supporters at a rally in Tampa, Fla. Pam Bondi, the White House’s in-house impeachment messenger, was a notable administration official Aboard Air Force Two, but when asked, she said she was just tagging along for a ride to her hometown. At the event, Mr. Pence was flanked by Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida — a Republican in the Trump mold who proudly announced to the crowd that “we were able to ban sanctuary cities in the state of Florida.” Mr. Pence spoke to the crowd about immigration, the Iran strike, border security and the administration’s recent trade wins, including the passage of Mr. Trump’s revised North American Free Trade Agreement. “Just about an hour ago,” Mr. Pence said, “the United States Senate passed the biggest North American trade deal in history,” he said. The trade deal was hailed as rare product of bipartisan politics, though both Republicans and Democrats have criticized it. “I heard that Chuck Schumer didn’t vote for it,” Mr. Pence said. “He led a minority of 11.” Aside from disparaging the “obstruction” of congressional Democrats, Mr. Pence steered clear of impeachment. The crowd cheered wildly, shouting “Four More Years,” “Build the Wall” and “Impeach Schiff” at points. Read more

Jan. 16, 2020, 2:13 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 2:13 p.m. ET By Senators take oath to ‘do impartial justice’ in Trump’s impeachment trial. Image Chief Justice John G. Roberts swearing in Senators. Credit... Associated Press The Senate swore in Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. to preside over President Trump’s impeachment trial, formally opening a somber proceeding in which senators will consider whether to remove the president from office. In a ceremony that has happened only twice before in the nation’s history, Chief Justice Roberts took an oath that dates to 1798. The oath was administered by Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa: “Do you solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, president of the United States, now pending, you will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: So help me God.” Chief Justice Roberts said: “I do.” He then delivered it to the senators themselves, asking them to stand while they made their vow. The senators were then called in groups of four to sign the oath book. Read more

Jan. 16, 2020, 1:56 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 1:56 p.m. ET By Chief Justice Roberts has arrived in the Capitol. Image Chief Justice John G. Roberts leaving Capitol Hill on Thursday. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times Not long before 2 p.m., Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. made the short trip across First Street from the Supreme Court to the Capitol, where he will administer an oath to senators for President Trump’s impeachment trial and preside over it. Chief Justice Roberts entered the building to a burst of camera flashes dressed in a suit tie, without his judicial robes on. He was escorted by the Senate sergeant-at-arms. When the time comes, a group of four senators — two Republicans, two Democrats — will escort a robed Chief Justice Roberts into the chamber.

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Jan. 16, 2020, 1:54 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 1:54 p.m. ET By CNN calls senator’s retort to a reporter ‘extremely unbecoming.’ CNN responded on Thursday after Senator Martha McSally, an Arizona Republican, dismissed a basic question from the network’s congressional reporter by calling him “a liberal hack.” “It is extremely unbecoming for a U.S. senator to sink to this level and treat a member of the press this way for simply doing his job,” the network said in a statement. The reporter, Manu Raju, who is well-respected on Capitol Hill by members of both parties, had asked Ms. McSally if the Senate would consider new evidence in the impeachment trial. The senator responded by repeatedly calling Mr. Raju “a liberal hack,” adding, “I’m not talking to you.” She posted a video of her exchange on Twitter, earning plaudits from presidential allies like the Fox News host Sean Hannity. @TrumpWarRoom, a Trump 2020 account, congratulated Ms. McSally — “THIS is how you handle FAKE NEWS” the account wrote — and urged followers to donate to her election campaign. THREE CHEERS for Senator @MarthaMcSally!!!



THIS is how you handle FAKE NEWS @CNN.



DONATE to Martha NOW ➡️ https://t.co/6SuZq3HR7r pic.twitter.com/K9YAsxvYwb — Trump War Room - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) January 16, 2020 The moment captured both the polarized state of Capitol Hill ahead of the president’s trial, and the open hostility faced by journalists in the Trump era, even in traditionally stoic venues like the Senate, where reporters and politicians frequently interact. Read more

Jan. 16, 2020, 1:37 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 1:37 p.m. ET By The impeachment oath sworn by senators and the chief justice dates to the 1700s. The Constitution dictates little about how the Senate must run its trial, but it does require senators sitting in judgment and the chief justice of the United States who presides to take a special oath at the outset of the proceeding. The oath that will be recited on Thursday can be traced back to 1798, when the Senate heard arguments in the impeachment of Senator Blount. Very little has changed since then, and some version of the oath was sworn at the outset of the 1868 trial of President Andrew Johnson and the 1999 trial of President Bill Clinton. The oath sworn on Thursday reads: “I solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, president of the United States, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: So help me God.” When the Senate updated its impeachment rules for the television era in 1986, senators decided to incorporate a printed book where they could record their affirmation of the traditional oath, according to Daniel S. Holt, a historian in the Senate’s Historical Office.

Jan. 16, 2020, 1:33 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 1:33 p.m. ET Silence in the Senate as managers present the articles. Image The House impeachment managers walking through the Capitol Rotunda after reading the articles of impeachment in the Senate chamber on Thursday. Credit... T.J. Kirkpatrick for The New York Times At five minutes past noon on Thursday, something rare happened in the Senate: All senators were seated, and the chamber came to a hush as the wooden doors swung open and a team of seven House Democrats, escorted by the Senate sergeant-at-arms, marched into the chamber. It was a grave moment, freighted with history, in the ordinarily bustling chamber. “Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye,” the sergeant-at-arms declared, using language from another era to admonish the senators not to speak while Representative Adam B. Schiff, the lead impeachment manager, prepared to read the articles aloud. “All persons are commanded to keep silent upon pain of imprisonment.” Senators reacted in various ways: Several — Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat of Arizona; Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio; Benjamin L. Cardin, Democrat of Maryland — took furious notes. Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, rested his head on his left hand. Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, clasped his hands before him and bowed his head, as if in prayer. At 12:20 p.m., Mr. Schiff finished reading the articles, and Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, rose to announce that he and his Democratic counterpart, Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, had named four senators to escort Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. into the chamber at 2 p.m. to swear the senators in. They are Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina (who was an impeachment manager during the trial of President Bill Clinton); Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California; and Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont. Read more

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Jan. 16, 2020, 1:03 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 1:03 p.m. ET By Chief Justice Roberts will hold two jobs during the trial. Image The Senate formally requested Chief Justice John Roberts’s presence. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. received a formal request to attend the impeachment trial on Thursday morning, hand delivered by the Secretary of the Senate, Julie E. Adams. At least for the next few weeks, the chief justice will be working two jobs. He will be sworn in as the presiding officer of the impeachment trial at 2 p.m. on Thursday by Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa and the Senate’s president pro tempore. After taking the oath, the chief justice will administer the oath to the entire Senate. Since the impeachment trial is scheduled to be held in the afternoons, the chief justice is unlikely to miss any arguments. If he does, he will participate in the cases based on the briefs and argument transcripts. The senior member of the court, Justice Clarence Thomas, will preside should the chief justice be absent. The Supreme Court has no arguments scheduled for Thursday or Friday, but the justices will hold a private conference on Friday morning to decide which cases to add to their docket. The last arguments of the court’s current sittings are set for Tuesday and Wednesday, after which the court will take its four-week midwinter break. Chief Justice Roberts will most likely use the ceremonial president’s room as an office, just as Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist did during the 1999 impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton. He and his law clerks will work on the court’s cases there during lulls in the trial proceedings. Read more

Jan. 16, 2020, 12:48 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 12:48 p.m. ET By Trump was not watching as the articles were read on the Senate floor. As the impeachment proceedings on the Senate floor took place after the noon hour, President Trump was not watching on television, according to a person familiar with his schedule. Instead of sitting in the little dining room off the Oval Office, he was at work in the Oval, which does not have a television. In the past, Mr. Trump has told aides to say he was busy working and wasn’t watching impeachment hearings, only to tweet or tell reporters later that he had followed the proceedings.

Jan. 16, 2020, 12:11 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 12:11 p.m. ET By Nicholas Fandos and Impeachment managers read the charges against Trump to the Senate. Image House impeachment managers walking to the Senate chamber Thursday on Capitol Hill. Credit... Erin Schaff/The New York Times For the second time in two days, the seven House members who will serve as prosecutors made a solemn march through the Capitol to the Senate chamber, this time to formally announce the charges against President Trump and initiate only the third presidential impeachment trial in American history. His words echoing from the well of the Senate, Mr. Schiff accused the president of abusing the power of his office, charging Mr. Trump with pressuring Ukraine for investigations into his political rivals and withholding $391 million in military aid as leverage. By blocking witness testimony and evidence from the House’s inquiry, Mr. Trump then unconstitutionally obstructed Congress, the House concluded. “President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States,” he concluded. Mr. Schiff, who spent months leading the effort to impeach the president, was accompanied by Representatives Jerrold Nadler of New York, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee and five other House members, each chosen for their litigation experience in the hopes of securing a guilty verdict in the nation’s third impeachment trial. Moments before, the Senate sergeant-at-arms, Michael C. Stenger, commanded senators to sit in silence. “Hear ye! Hear ye!” Mr. Stenger bellowed. “All persons are commanded to keep silence, on pain of imprisonment, while the House of Representatives is exhibiting to the Senate of the United States articles of impeachment against Donald John Trump, president of the United States.” Read more

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Jan. 16, 2020, 12:02 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2020, 12:02 p.m. ET By Schiff says managers will consider calling Parnas for testimony at trial. Image Representative Adam B. Schiff speaking to reporters Wednesday on Capitol Hill. Credit... Erin Schaff/The New York Times Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, the lead impeachment manager, said his team would consider whether to press the Senate to call Lev Parnas to testify once the trial begins. The voluminous records Mr. Parnas turned over to the House in recent days and aired in news interviews “corroborate much of what we already knew about the president’s scheme to coerce Ukraine into helping him cheat in the next election,” Mr. Schiff said. “We are continuing to review his interviews and the materials he has provided to evaluate his potential testimony in the Senate trial,” he added. Regardless of what the managers decide, it will ultimately be up to the Senate to determine which witnesses are called. A majority of the body — 51 senators — must agree on any witness.