Sunday Talk Shows: Lawmakers look ahead to House vote on articles of impeachment, Senate trial

Congress’ ongoing impeachment investigation is expected to dominate Sunday talk shows as lawmakers hit the morning show circuit.

The House is expected to vote on two articles of impeachment on Wednesday, setting up a trial in front of the full Senate as early as the following week. The House Judiciary voted out of committee two articles of impeachment against President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

The investigation, which is widely expected to advance to the Senate, has sharply divided Congress — Democrats say Trump overstepped by allegedly leveraging nearly $400 million in military aid and a White House meeting with the Ukrainian president for the probe into political rival and former Vice President Joe Biden, while Republicans claim that Trump did nothing wrong and was seeking to ensure that taxpayer dollars did not fund corruption in a country with a reputation for government misconduct. 

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the chair of the House Intelligence Committee who oversaw several private and public depositions with government officials, is set to appear on ABC’s “This Week” and “Fox News Sunday.” Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the chair of the judiciary panel, will also appear on “This Week.” 

Despite the ongoing divisions on Capitol Hill, the Senate is widely anticipated to clear Trump of any wrongdoing. Senators are currently debating the format of their trial, with many advocating for one in which witnesses are not called since the outcome is largely predetermined with the GOP’s 53-47 advantage in the Senate. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a staunch Trump ally, and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Senate minority whip, will appear on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) are scheduled to come on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) will appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will appear on “This Week.”

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will also appear on “Face the Nation” to discuss the deal struck between the White House and House Democrats on the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), the replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). 

Here’s the full Sunday show lineup: 

ABC’s “This Week” — Nadler, Schiff, Cruz

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Coons, Toomey

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Graham, Durbin, Lighthizer 

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Paul, Brown, Reps. Will Hurd (R-Texas) and Karen Bass (D-Calif.) 

“Fox News Sunday” — Schiff; former FBI Director James Comey; White House adviser Pam Bondi.