LIVE UPDATES: The Impeachment trial of President Trump

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The Republican-controlled United States Senate heard the second day of arguments against President Donald Trump as the impeachment trial entered its fourth day on Thursday.

In six days of presentations, the president's defence team and Democratic legislators from the House of Representatives will attempt to convince senators to join their side to either acquit or convict Trump.

Democratic House managers on Wednesday began arguing their case first, detailing in eight hours of proceedings the timeline of Trump's politically motivated pressure campaign on Ukraine. The managers have a total of 24 hours over three days to make their arguments, before Trump's defence team will be given the same amount of time to make their case. 

The trial began in earnest on Tuesday with a marathon session of debate that ultimately culminated in a partisan vote in favour of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's resolution outlining the rules for the impeachment trial, while 11 amendments proposed by Democrats were voted down.
Here are all the latest updates as of Thursday, January 23:

Trial highlights from day four: Conspiracy theories and fidget spinners

'Political' investigation
Pressing their case for a second day, Democrats said there was no evidence that former Vice President Joe Biden did anything improper in dealings with Ukraine. Rebutting a central Trump claim, Democrats said the president sought a political investigation of Biden by Ukraine to sway the 2020 election in his favour.
"There was no basis for the investigation the president was pursuing and pushing. None. He was doing it only for his own political benefit," said Representative Sylvia Garcia of Texas, a Democratic prosecutor.
Similarly, Democrats said Trump and his allies, including his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, pushed a bogus, Kremlin-pushed conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, meddled in the 2016 US election.
"Trump put himself first," ahead of US policy and the national interest, said Representative Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and lead Democratic prosecutor.

Senators bring toys
As senators sat through endless hours of arguments on impeachment, they found a new outlet to focus their attention: fidget spinners.
Republican Senator Richard Burr, handed out the toys to his colleagues before Thursday's trial proceedings began.
Burr was seen playing with a blue spinner while listening to arguments by House manager Jerrold Nadler. Other senators, including Republicans Tom Cotton and Pat Toomey, were also seen with spinners on their desks.

Silence in the chamber, but not outside
While senators are pledged to silence during the trial proceedings - and deprived of their phones and other electronics - they are speaking out during breaks in the action.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a top Trump defender, challenged the Democratic argument about the Bidens's dealings in Ukraine. The White House and some congressional Republicans have raised questions about Hunter Biden's lucrative job on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas company, and Joe Biden's successful efforts to force the firing of a corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor. There has been no evidence of wrongdoing by either Biden.
"I know a lot about the Trump family and their dealings in Russia," Graham said. "I don't know anything about the Biden connection. You're going to hear more about that."
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, meanwhile, rebutted Republican senators who lamented they heard nothing new from House prosecutors. Republicans voted nine times this week to block Democratic amendments for new witnesses and documents.
"If they want new stuff, there is plenty of it,'' Schumer said at a news conference before Thursday's session. "As the (Democratic) managers made clear, a lot of the documents are sitting there, all compiled, all ready to go, with simply a vote of four Republicans to subpoena them."

What's still ahead?
Democrats are expected to wrap up their arguments on Friday with Trump's legal team set to make its case for up to three days beginning on Saturday.
Jay Sekulow, a lawyer for Trump, deflected rumours that the defence may wrap up in a single day.
"We're going to use a sufficient amount of time to defend our case and point out the inconsistencies of their case. We're not going to run out the clock," he said. "I am confident that whether it is (completed) Saturday or Monday or Tuesday that the case will be made defending the president. I have no doubt."

Trump 'made a religious man out of Vladimir Putin,' jokes Schiff

In a moment that drew rare chuckles on Thursday, at least on the Democratic side of the chamber, Representative Adam Schiff recalled how Putin in November had said he was relieved that Ukraine, instead of Russia, was now being accused of meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.
"'Thank God,' Putin said, 'Thank God nobody is accusing us any more of interfering in US elections, now they're accusing Ukraine,'" Schiff said.

 

Lead manager House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff speaking during the continuation of opening arguments on the third day of the Senate impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump [US Senate TV/Handout via Reuters] 

"'Thank God,' Putin says," Schiff continued. "Well, you gotta give Donald Trump credit for this, he has made a religious man out of Vladimir Putin."
There was plenty of laughter among Democratic senators at this, but it was not shared on the Republican side of the Senate.

How long can US Senators sit still?

The 100 US senators who will decide whether to remove Trump from office at the end of his impeachment trial, managed to stay seated and listen to the Democratic case against him for about 20 minutes on Thursday, Reuters noted.
Beginning at 1:20pm, legislators began heading off slowly to the Republican and Democratic cloakrooms at the back of the Senate chamber, where they can make calls and check their smartphones for emails and text messages.
They began wandering off shortly after Schiff, thanked them for their attention through about 20 hours of proceedings over the first two days.
"I'm not sure the chief justice is fully aware of just how rare it is, how extraordinary it is, for the House members to be able to command the attention of senators sitting silently for hours, or even for minutes, for that matter," Schiff said, alluding to Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the hearings.
"Of course, it doesn't hurt that the morning starts out every day with the sergeant at arms warning you that, if you don't, you will be imprisoned."

Trump Tweets on elections

On Thursday afternoon, as Democrats pressed their case for removing Trump from office, the president seemed more focused on his 2020 elections prospects, than the trial, unleashing a slew of tweets slamming his election opponents.
As his fellow Republicans showed no signs of turning against him, Trump is almost certain to be acquitted by the 100-member Senate, which has 53 Republican members. A two-thirds majority is needed to remove him from office
"Crazy Bernie takes the lead in the Democrat Primaries, but it is looking more and more like the Dems will never allow him to win! Will Sleepy Joe be able to stumble across the finish line?" he wrote in one tweet.
Minutes earlier, he tweeted a Florida presidential poll which showed him ahead against all Democratic candidates by small margins.

Involuntary Republican chuckling

In a rare moment of levity, House manager Sylvia Garcia drew some involuntary laughter from Republicans when she played a video clip of a former White House aide busting on Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
Tom Bossert, a former Homeland Security Advisor to Trump had said in a television interview in September that Giuliani's allegations about Joe Biden in Ukraine were "completely debunked" conspiracy theories.
"There are three ways to impeach one's self. And the third way was to hire Rudy Giuliani," Bossert cracked in the Senate clip.
With a back row of Republicans chuckling, that drew a smirk even from the usually stone-faced Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

House manager Democratic Representative Sylvia Garcia, speaking during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump in the Senate at the US Capitol in Washington [Senate Television via AP] 

Republican Senator defends reading book during impeachment trial

Senator Marsha Blackburn was seen reading a book during the House managers' presentation of the impeachment case against Trump on Thursday.
When called out for it on Twitter, she said the reading material, Resistance (At All Costs): How Trump Haters are Breaking America by Kimberley Strassel, offered "good insights into today's proceedings".
She added that "busy mamas are the best multi-tasking".

Trump to address Republican leadership

Trump is set to address his party's leadership on Thursday to rally their support amid impeachment and a trying re-election fight.
The 168-member Republican National Committee (RNC) is holding its winter meeting at Trump's golf resort outside Miami.
The Republican governing body last year pledged its "undivided support" for Trump.
In an extraordinary move in October, as Democrats moved forward with the impeachment probe, the RNC said it "now more than ever wholeheartedly supports President Trump."

Fidget spinners stave off boredom during lengthy arguments

Some senators played with fidget spinners during Thursday's proceedings [File: Carlos Osorio/The Associated Press]

With some Republican senators complaining of boredom during the lengthy presentations by Democrat House managers, Senator Richard Burr handed out fidget spinners to a few colleagues at the Republican's caucus lunch.
Inside the Senate chamber on Thursday, he was seen openly twirling a light blue spinner in his hands for half an hour as House manager Jerry Nadler expounded on the constitutional legal basis for Trump's impeachment.
Sitting next to Burr, Senator Tom Cotton fidgeted with a spinner, letting it twirl on his wooden Senate desk like a child's top.
"I'm hoping our side will simplify it more and not go into as laborious and complicated arguments," said Senator Mike Braun.

Schumer hopes for a 'little bit of magic' in impeachment trial

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed optimism that some Republicans would change their mind during the House managers presentation. 
"This is an amazing process ... I think this is the first time that many Republican senators are hearing the whole case laid out," Schumer said.
"What happens in that room will hopefully have a little bit of magic," he said.

Schumer: 'More hopeful than ever' four Republicans will vote to allow witness testimony

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, speaking to reporters during a recess in Thursday's proceedings, said he was "more hopeful than ever" that four Republicans would vote to allow witnesses.
"If we want a fair trial ... the best way to go is the four witnesses we've asked for and the four sets of documents," Schumer said. "I am more helpful than every that four ... Republicans will come forward and tell McConnell you can't shut this down without witnesses, you can't shut this down without documents."
Here are the Senators to watch in the trial.

Trump defence lawyer: 'We're not going to run the time out'

A lawyer on Trump's defence team, Jay Sekulow, said they would not necessarily use the entire time allotted when their turn comes to present their arguments.
"We're going to use a sufficient amount of time," Sekulow said.

President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Jay Sekulow [File:Jacquelyn Martin/The Associated Press]

"We're not going to try to run the time out. We're going to do what our legal team thinks is appropriate amount of time," he said.
The lawyer added that he had seen "nothing that has changed" in the case presented by the House managers.

Report: Legal experts say it will be hard for Trump to block Bolton testimony

Legal experts told the Associated Press news agency that a claim of executive privilege from Trump to block former National Security Advisor John Bolton's testimony would be weak.

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton [File: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/The Associated Press]

Bolton's testimony is "clearly critical to issues before the Senate, and that outweighs any privilege that applies," Michael Stern, a former lawyer for the House when the chamber was controlled by Republicans told the news agency.
Mark Rozell, a constitutional scholar who wrote a book about executive privilege, said he believes Bolton could be questioned without revealing sensitive national security information.
"To me, it looks like the president is just trying to protect himself," Rozell, dean of George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government in Virginia, told the news agency.
Bolton has said he would testify if subpoenaed and Democrats are pushing to be allowed to do so in the Senate trial.

Still no deals on trial witnesses

Schumer, speaking to reporters on Thursday, said there are no bipartisan deals in the making for witnesses, document or any new evidence.
"No Republicans are talking to us about deals," he said.
Senators will debate whether they will be able to subpoena more witnesses or evidence after House managers present their case and Trump's legal team presents the defence.

House manager Sylvia Garcia outlines abuse of power

Representative Garcia took to the Senate floor to outline the first article of impeachment against Trump: abuse of power.
Garcia is one of seven House managers who are presenting the case for impeachment.

 

McConnell reminds senators of his plans to table Schumer's third amendment

Senate TV

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gave senators a brief rundown of what to expect following the debate on the third amendment.

He reminded senators that he would be moving to table the amendment following the debate.

"And it is important to remember, both the evidence and witnesses are addressed in the underlying resolution," the Kentucky Republican said.

Both parties will have two hours to argue the amendment, which was introduced by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. The amendment calls on the Senate to subpoena key documents from the Office of Budget and Management.

Once the debate is over, McConnell said they will vote on the amendment, then take a 30-minute recess for dinner.

23 min ago

Senate tables amendment to subpoena State Department documents

The Senate voted along party lines to table Sen. Chuck Schumer's second amendment to Mitch McConnell's resolution.

The vote was 53 Republicans in favor and 47 Democrats against tabling the amendment.

Schumer is now introducing a third amendment to subpoena relevant documents from the Office of Management and Budget.

21 min ago

Today's hearing is wearing on senators

Senate TV

By 5:30 p.m. ET, the length of the first day was wearing on the senators in the chamber. There were lots of yawns and sleepy looks.

Sen. Martha McSally had a blanket over her lap. Sen. Dan Sullivan let loose a big yawn. At one point, both Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Sen. Jim Risch appeared to have their eyes closed, but Gillibrand opened them abruptly and sat up straight in her chair.

Others looked like bored students in a particularly long lecture. Sen. Tom Cotton absent-mindedly clicked his retractable pen for about a minute, before Sen. Joni Ernst turned to look at him and he stopped. Sen. Amy Klobuchar was chewing a piece of gum. Sen. Tim Scott scribbled on a note card and handed it to Sen. Ben Sasse, who read it, leaned into Scott’s ear, and began whispering. Scott silently laughed at whatever Sasse told him.

One of the attorneys for the House Democratic managers, sitting at the table across from the managers, was Daniel Goldman, who was the lead counsel for the House Intelligence Committee during its impeachment hearings.

House Manager Rep. Val Demings, during her arguments, prompted for a video of Goldman’s questioning of former acting ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor to be played. When Goldman’s voice boomed out of the speakers at the start of the video, the present Goldman sat up with a bit of a start.

31 min ago

McConnell asks to table Schumer's second amendment

The House impeachment managers and Trump's legal team just finished debating a second amendment to the proposed trial rules. The amendment — introduced by Sen. Chuck Schumer — would allow for the subpoena of State Department documents.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell asked to table the amendment. They're voting on that now.

36 min ago

Many Republicans didn’t read through McConnell's resolution closely last night, senator says

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Sen. Mike Braun, a Republican from Indiana, told reporters that many Republicans didn’t read through the resolution closely last night — so at the GOP lunch today there was a lot of discussion surrounding the amount of time for opening arguments and the handling of evidence already laid out from the House. 

“I think that most of us didn't really have time to really look at the resolution closely and when we did, we thought that submitting evidence from House proceedings would be a good thing," he said. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made some key last minute changes to the Senate trial organizing resolution today, including that evidence from the House would be submitted into the trial record unless there’s a vote to oppose, and time for opening arguments would be extended from two days to three. 

In addition to Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who voiced support for witnesses, Braun felt there was “pretty broad agreement” on the idea that “when it came to any information that any evidence has already been heard in the House that just gets accepted into the record.”  

Braun also said that while originally he thought it would be a good idea to tough it out and sit through opening arguments in a compressed timeline – by 5:30 p.m. today he said: “I don’t think I’d be as apt to say I could sit through 12 to 14 hours or whatever that might be.”

He added that he felt that way, in particular, because the subject matter “we’ve all heard” and it feels like it’s going “slowly” at this point.

39 min ago

White House counsel: It's "not right" to subpoena John Bolton

Senate TV

White House counsel Pat Cipollone briefly spoke on the Senate Floor following House manager Val Demings, responding to Adam Schiff’s assertion that he’d call former White House national security adviser John Bolton to testify in the Senate.

He said that issuing a subpoena for Bolton is “not right” since the House forwent their opportunity to call him to testify during their trial.

Cipollone referenced a letter from Bolton and Charles Kupperman’s lawyer dated Nov. 8 regarding subpoenas for Bolton and Kupperman’s testimony.

The House, Cipollone said, “never subpoenaed Ambassador Bolton, … and they withdrew the subpoena for Charles Kupperman. And they ask you to issue a subpoena for John Bolton. It’s not right,” he said

He yielded the remainder of his time to the President’s outside counsel, Jay Sekulow.

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