The House of Representatives voted to transmit articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate following a month-long delay. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) signed the articles of impeachment and her House managers delivered the articles to the Senate on Wednesday evening.
Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on the Senate floor: “Mr. President, I have been directed by the House of Representatives to inform the Senate. The House has passed H Res 798, a resolution appointing and authorizing managers for the impeachment trial of Donald John Trump, president of the United States.”
He added that he hopes both the GOP and Democrats can rise above partisanship and do what’s best for the United States.
The Senate leader said that at 12 p.m. Thursday, the Senate will receive the House managers to present and exhibit their articles of impeachment against the president.
Earlier in the day, the House approved the matter in a 228-to-193 vote that was largely along partisan lines.
It came hours after Pelosi named two House chairmen who led the impeachment inquiry as prosecutors for the Senate trial. They are Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who led the probe, and Judiciary Chair Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), whose committee approved the impeachment articles.
Nadler called the House to vote on the managers just hours after they were named by the speaker. A 10-minute debate ensued between the GOP and Democrats on the floor, with Nadler again arguing that a “fair trial” in the Senate “must include additional documents and relevant witnesses.” Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), the ranking Judiciary Committee Republican, argued that Democrats didn’t hold a “fair hearing in the House” and said the “president wasn’t allowed” to present counter-arguments and bring in fact witnesses.
It came one month after the House impeached Trump, alleging he abused his presidential power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden. Trump was also charged with obstructing the ensuing probe by the House. Trump has denied the charges.
“We are here today to cross a very important threshold in American history,” Pelosi said, addressing the House before the vote.
In response to the vote, the White House criticized the proceedings.
“The naming of these managers does not change a single thing,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement after Pelosi’s announcement. “President Trump has done nothing wrong. He looks forward to having the due process rights in the Senate.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
