House To Vote Wednesday To Send Impeachment Articles To Senate

January 14, 2020 / 7:44 am

caption: Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democrats the House will vote to send the articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate Wednesday

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has notified Democrats that the House will vote to send two articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate Wednesday, according to multiple lawmakers at a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic caucus.

Pelosi is also expected to name impeachment managers to lead the prosecution against the president but did not tell the caucus who would the managers would be.

The Speaker had delayed transmitting the articles in an unsuccessful attempt to force Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to lay out the rules under which the trial will take place.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries said the vote to transmit the articles will happen "at some point tomorrow" and that impeachment managers will be named before the vote takes place.

"I have no expectation to serve as an impeachment manager," Jeffries said, noting he has a "day job" as Caucus Chairman.

The House approved the two articles of impeachment last month. The first article charges Trump with abusing the power of his office for attempting to pressure Ukraine to investigate a potential political opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden; the second charges Trump obstructed Congress' investigation of his actions.

The House resolution serves as a formal notice to the Senate that it is prepared to transmit the articles. Then, the Senate responds saying they are prepared to receive them. The articles themselves are placed inside a box and carried from the House to the Senate where it is presented to the secretary of the Senate.

The ceremonial delivery to the Senate is expected to happen Wednesday.

Once the articles are sent to the Senate, the impeachment trial can begin but it remains unclear exactly when it would start. Senators say they expect to be sworn in as jurors later this week. Meanwhile, the Senate continues to still work through pending legislation, including a bill that would limit Trump's ability to wage war with Iran.