Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sent out a "Dear Colleague" letter Friday laying out the next steps in the impeachment trial.
"I am very proud of the courage and patriotism exhibited by our House Democratic Caucus as we support and defend the Constitution," Pelosi wrote. "I have asked Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler to be prepared to bring to the Floor next week a resolution to appoint managers and transmit articles of impeachment to the Senate. "
So all the nervous Beltway reporters anxious to cover an impeachment trial can now stand down. The House will, in fact, send over the articles of impeachment and hand over the process to the Senate.
But what process, exactly? Mitch McConnell wants to dismiss the articles without a trial. Pelosi had words for that, too.
By joining a resolution to dismiss, Sen. McConnell showed his true colors. Americans have now seen what is at stake in a fair trial with witnesses & evidence, and new evidence has emerged. Every Senator will have to vote: is their loyalty is to the President or the Constitution?
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 10, 2020
What new evidence? Speaker Pelosi helpfully provided a list:
- On December 20, new emails showed that 91 minutes after Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky, a top Office of Management and Budget (OMB) aide asked the Department of Defense to “hold off” on sending military aid to Ukraine.
- On December 29, revelations emerged about OMB Director and Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney’s role in the delay of aid, the effort by lawyers at the OMB, the Department of Justice and the White House to justify the delay, and the alarm that the delay caused within the Administration.
- On January 2, newly-unredacted Pentagon emails, which we had subpoenaed and the President had blocked, raised serious concerns by Trump Administration officials about the legality of the President’s hold on aid to Ukraine.
- And on January 6, just this week, former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton announced he would comply with a subpoena compelling his testimony. His lawyers have stated he has new relevant information.
I wouldn't trust John Bolton at all. The Soleimani assassination scratched an itch for Bolton and I wouldn't expect him to offer any compelling new testimony after that. But the rest of it all points to Trump's corruption and efforts to rig the 2020 election with help from Ukraine's newly-elected President.
Let the trial begin!