House Democrats expected to unveil articles of impeachment Tuesday

by Olivia Beavers - 12/09/19 8:57 PM ET

House Democrats are expected to unveil articles of impeachment against President Trump during a Tuesday morning press conference, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and other relevant committee chairs are expected to make the announcement, the timing of which is a sign that Democrats plan to stay on track with their fast-charging goal of wrapping up the impeachment inquiry into Trump’s contacts with Ukraine ahead of the holiday season.

Two sources said Democrats are expected to introduce two articles of impeachment. One of the sources, a senior Democratic aide, said they will be obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. The aide noted, however, that Democrats have not fully closed the door on a third article.

Multiple sources also told The Hill they believe the markup of the articles will take place either Wednesday or Thursday, though they noted that the precise time has not been confirmed.

Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) told reporters Monday evening that Democrats are “going to work through the night” to determine the exact articles they expect to introduce, though they have been heavily indicating the rough outlines of what they believe are impeachable offenses.

Last week, Democrats heard from three constitutional scholars who said they believed Trump committed three impeachable offenses: Abuse of power and bribery, obstruction of justice, and obstruction of Congress.

Nadler was tight-lipped after leaving a meeting in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office ahead of the gathering with members of his panel and declined to comment on how the articles of impeachment would take shape.

Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) also declined to say what the announcement would be, but he assumed a more somber tone that suggested serious next steps.

“I think that a lot of us believe that what happened with Ukraine especially is not something that we can just close our eyes to,” Engel said as he left Pelosi’s office. “This is not a happy day.”

News that impeachment articles are imminent comes on the same day that Democrats and Republicans dueled over the propriety of Trump’s contacts with Kyiv.

Democrats allege that Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to commit to opening two investigations that would benefit him politically, including into 2020 political rival former Vice President Joe Biden. They also say the president withheld the promise of a White House meeting and nearly $400 million in U.S. aid as leverage, all while Trump officials repeated the requests in meetings with Zelensky representatives.

Scott Wong, Cristina Marcos and Mike Lillis contributed.

Tags Adam Schiff David Cicilline Donald Trump Eliot Engel Jerrold Nadler Joe Biden Nancy Pelosi