IMPEACHMENT

Investigating the Texas power gridThe forecast was for record breaking cold for Texas, including Houston. KPRC Investigates reporter Robert Arnold takes a deep dive into what went wrong and is a guest on this week’s Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall. After his second impeachment acquittal, former president Trump may have a renewed ability to play a pivotal role in the future of the Republican Party but to what end? “He has the ability to make life very difficult for the Republican party, particularly in seats that are competitive seats where they want some moderate or centrist moderate candidates,” Jones said. “I think that he’s going to be the butt of national jokes for a while,” Professor Rottinghaus said.

Election law expert on legal impact of Trump impeachment hearing CBS News election law expert David Becker discusses the legal impact of former President Trump's impeachment hearing. Becker weighs in on if the House impeachment managers made their case for impeachment and how the former president's legal team may respond.

The impeachment trial represents a remarkable reckoning with the violence in the Capitol last month, which the senators witnessed firsthand, and with Trump’s presidency overall. AdThe impeachment trial, Trump’s second, begins in earnest on Feb. 9. “The only honorable path at that point was for President Trump to accept the results and concede his electoral defeat. Instead, he summoned a mob to Washington, exhorted them into a frenzy, and aimed them like a loaded cannon down Pennsylvania Avenue,” the Democrats wrote in an 80-page document. “There is no ‘January Exception’ to impeachment or any other provision of the Constitution,” the Democrats wrote.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)(AP) – Former President Donald Trump has parted ways with his lead impeachment lawyers just over a week before his Senate trial is set to begin, two people familiar with the situation said Saturday. Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier, both South Carolina lawyers, are no longer with Trump's defense team. AdGreg Harris and Johnny Gasser, two former federal prosecutors from South Carolina, are also off the team, one of the people said. Republicans and Trump aides have made clear that they intend to make a simple argument in the trial: Trump's trial is unconstitutional because he is no longer in office. ____Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

The Impeachment Managers from the House of Representatives proceed through the Rotunda to deliver the articles of impeachment to the Senate on January 25, 2021 in Washington, DC. The House is impeaching Donald Trump for the second time with the Senate scheduled to begin its trial of the former president on February 8. The House of Representatives on Monday delivered the article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump to the Senate. The ceremony is part of the process to begin the second impeachment trial of Trump. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced last week that the trial will begin the week of Feb. 8.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: A protester holds a Trump flag inside the US Capitol Building near the Senate Chamber on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)1 (2021 Getty Images)What drove thousands of Trump supporters to Washington, D.C. on January 6th? Thousands of them rioted and attacked the U.S. Capitol during a joint session of Congress, upset with election results that showed former Vice President Joe Biden beating President Trump.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has released a video condemning the violent insurrection he fomented at the Capitol last week. The video came out Wednesday after he was impeached by the House for a record second time, this time with Republican votes. Trump also called on his supporters to remain peaceful amid concerns about additional violence in the days before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Trump says: “I want to be very clear: I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week.” He says, “Like all of you I was shocked and deeply saddened by the calamity” and “no true supporter” of his “could ever endorse political violence.”Trump also said that he had directed federal agencies “to use all necessary resources to maintain order in Washington, D.C.” over the next week.”Trump made no reference to becoming the first president in the nation’s history to be impeached twice.

WASHINGTON – Vice President Mike Pence is ruling out invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from power, less than a week after the president fomented the violent insurrection at the Capitol. In a letter late Tuesday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Pence said the mechanism should not be used “as a means of punishment or usurpation” and reserved for cases of medical or mental incapacitation. Pelosi has called on Pence to secure the majority of the Cabinet and vote to declare Trump unfit to serve. As the House appears on the cusp of a bipartisan impeachment of Trump, Pence encouraged Congress to avoid actions to “further divide and inflame the passions of the moment” and to focus on smoothing the transition to President-elect Joe Biden’s administration. Pelosi has said if Pence rejects use of the 25th Amendment, the House will move to impeach him.

“We must take action,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared on a private conference call with Democrats. Trump has not publicly made such threats, but officials warn of grave danger if the president is left unchecked. Asked about impeachment, he said, “That’s a decision for the Congress to make.”The Democrats are considering lightning-quick action. Another leading Republican critic of Trump, Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, said he would “definitely consider” impeachment. The House impeached Trump in 2019, but the Republican-led Senate acquitted him in early 2020.

HOUSTON – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee introduced articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. The President has completely lost whatever moral authority he had and is unfit as Commander in Chief. Refusing to acknowledge Russian interference in the internal affairs of the United States, and then opposing responses by Congress and the Executive Branch to protect the national security and interests of the United States against future Russian interference and aggression. Publicly conveying his interest and willingness to accept the assistance of foreign powers in his attempt win reelection as President of the United States. Instituting frivolous lawsuits to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election, falsely alleging wide-spread voting fraud but producing no evidence in support of his spurious allegations.

President Donald Trump in a social media video addressing violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. HOUSTON – Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, has called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump after Wednesday’s extraordinary protest at the U.S. Capitol. FULL COVERAGE OF PROTEST AT U.S. CAPITOLIn a tweet, she said she is drawing up Articles of Impeachment against the president. Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate. We can’t allow him to remain in office, it’s a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath.

U.S. Rep Garcia: Impeachment was the right thing to doIt is the height of the political season with political opposites entrenched in their own ideology. Many polls show that Americans were split in their opinions about the impeachment of President Trump. But Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, (D) 29th, says she has no regrets about her role as one of the impeachment managers bringing the case against President Trump during the Senate trial. This year the focus will be on “The Empowerment of the Black Woman” with special guests, actors Lynn Whitfield and Robin Givens. “ They’re going to speak on their behalf about the empowerment of African American women as it relates to entertainment.

Sunday on Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston) talks about the challenge of finding answers for the community. Jackson Lee said that while she is back in her district, she is still connected to the House effort in Washington. Baylor St. Luke’s trains to identify human trafficking victimsKimberly Williams, Baylor St. Luke's Project Coordinator, Human Trafficking Initiative (KPRC)A recent study estimated that tens of thousands of victims of human trafficking are in Southeast Texas. Kimberly Williams is the project coordinator for the Human Trafficking Initiative at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center and said they are often on the front lines of the human trafficking battle. Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall airs Sundays at 10:30 a.m.More informationU.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, (D) 18th Congressional DistrictKimberly Williams, Human Trafficking Project Coordinator, Baylor, St. Luke’s Medical Center

No matter what happens in this year’s election, President Donald Trump has already made history in one way. While Trump is the third president ever to be impeached by the House of Representatives, he likely will be the first impeached president in history to be nominated by a political party to run for re-election. In short, the ability of Trump — or any president who gets impeached, for that matter — to seek re-election while impeached is entirely up to the Senate. This was never a scenario for the previous two presidents to be impeached by the House, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Clinton was impeached in 1999 during his second term and wasn’t allowed to run for president again due to term limits.

Trump has been telling associates and allies around him that he wanted a "high profile" legal team that can perform on television, the source said. It's simply who Trump is, the source continued, adding Trump loves having people who are on television working for him. This in part may explain why Kenneth Starr and Alan Dershowitz were added to the legal team representing the President. Dershowitz was pressured by White House to join legal team, source saysThe President was especially fixated on having controversial defense attorney Dershowitz on the legal team. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump's longtime personal counsel Jane Raskin and attorney Eric Herschmann will also supplement the President's impeachment legal team, Grisham said.

HOUSTON – U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Houston spoke Friday about her role as an impeachment manager. The Democrat was named this week to the team of seven House members who will be responsible for the prosecution of President Donald Trump during his impeachment trial in the Senate. Garcia said she takes her duty very seriously and was honored to be picked by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “We had a very strong case that led to impeachment, and remember, impeachment is forever; it’s done,” said Garcia. Garcia said she will fly to Washington, D.C. Sunday to meet with the other impeachment managers.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday night, becoming only the third American chief executive to be formally charged under the Constitution’s ultimate remedy for high crimes and misdemeanors. Trump called the whole affair a “witch hunt,” a “hoax” and a “sham,” and sometimes all three. “President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office,” it said. The investigation of Richard Nixon ended when he resigned rather than face the House vote over Watergate. The next day, Trump called Ukraine.

WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Democrats will draft articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, a crucial step toward a vote of the full House. That panel could approve the articles as early as next week, setting up a vote of the full House in the days before Christmas. A breakdown of what it means, how the process works and what the articles might say:WHAT ARE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT? WHAT THE ARTICLES WILL COVERThe articles of impeachment are likely to encompass two major themes — abuse of office and obstruction. Obstruction articles could be broken up into obstruction of Congress and obstruction of justice, or the two could be combined .

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House is pressing forward to draft articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday. “The president leaves us no choice but to act.”Pelosi delivered the historic announcement as Democrats push toward a vote, possibly before Christmas. We will have Schiff, the Bidens, Pelosi and many more testify, and will reveal, for the first time, how corrupt our system really is. The chairmen of the House committees conducting the impeachment inquiry will begin drafting the articles, and some lawmakers are expecting to remain in Washington over the weekend. Members are preparing to vote on the articles of impeachment in the Judiciary Committee, possibly as soon as next week.

WASHINGTON – The next phase of the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump moved to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday with public hearings featuring professors of law who discussed the constitutional origins of Congress’ impeachment power. Here are some takeaways from the hearing so far:Republican disruptionRepublicans allied with the president used the hearing to force procedural votes and delay the proceedings, adding to an unruly atmosphere even with the professors’ lofty recounting of constitutional principles. The top Republican on the Judiciary panel, Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, said the impeachment process is a “sham.” And he said the committee had been sidelined as other panels led the impeachment investigation. “What a disgrace to this committee, to have the committee of impeachment simply take from other committees and rubber stamp,” Collins said. They said the president’s interaction with Ukraine amounted to high crimes and misdemeanors, the impeachment standard set out in the Constitution.

WASHINGTON – The House released a sweeping impeachment report Tuesday outlining evidence of what it calls President Donald Trump's wrongdoing toward Ukraine, findings that will serve as the foundation for debate over whether the 45th president should be removed from office. Based on two months of investigation, the report contains evidence and testimony from current and former U.S. officials. The panel will vote later Tuesday, in what is expected to be a party-line tally, to send the document to the Judiciary Committee ahead of a landmark impeachment hearing Wednesday. In it, they claim there's no evidence Trump pressured Zelenskiy. Democrats could begin drafting articles of impeachment against the president in a matter of days, with voting in the Judiciary Committee next week.

The third day of impeachment hearings was the longest yet, bringing to the forefront four witnesses in two separate hearings. Col. Vindman, please.”The committee attacks mirrored the combative approach of the White House, which used its official Twitter account to retweet attacks on Vindman, who continues to work at the White House. He says he didn’t know that security aid to Ukraine was linked to the country pursuing investigations. He says he didn’t know that when U.S. officials spoke about investigating Burisma, the Ukraine gas company, that this referred to Biden. He says he didn’t know that then-national security adviser John Bolton had “strong concerns” about discussions of investigations by NSC staff.

The way we look at American Crime Story is as Revisionist History," Landgraf said, referring to Malcolm Gladwell's political podcast. I feel completely unabashed about my pride for American Crime Story and my belief that this is a completely valid cycle of American Crime Story. I find Monica Lewinsky extremely impressive. Impeachment: American Crime Story will debut Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX. RELATED CONTENT:Beanie Feldstein to Play Monica Lewinsky in 'American Crime Story' Season 3Monica Lewinsky Reveals What She'd Say to Hillary Clinton If They Ever Were to Meet in PersonMonica Lewinsky 'American Crime Story' Docuseries in the Works

(Reuters) - Eighty-nine Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives as of late last week have said they support starting impeachment investigations against Republican President Donald Trump. The word Impeachment as it is written in Article II of the U.S. Constitution, on display in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom at the National Archives Museum in Washington, U.S., June 24, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWith congressional testimony set for Wednesday by former U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who investigated Trump and the Russians who interfered in the 2016 presidential election to help him, more than a third of the 235-member Democratic caucus in the House now favors initiating an impeachment probe. The following are the House Democrats who have expressed public support for starting impeachment investigations:Ann Kirkpatrick, ArizonaRal Grijalva, ArizonaGreg Stanton, ArizonaRuben Gallego, ArizonaAlan Lowenthal, CaliforniaBarbara Lee, CaliforniaEric Swalwell, CaliforniaGrace Napolitano, CaliforniaJackie Speier, CaliforniaJared Huffman, CaliforniaJimmy Gomez, CaliforniaJuan Vargas, CaliforniaLucille Roybal-Allard, CaliforniaMark DeSaulnier, CaliforniaMaxine Waters, CaliforniaNanette Barragn, CaliforniaNorma Torres, CaliforniaTed Lieu, CaliforniaTony Crdenas, CaliforniaKatie Porter, CaliforniaHarley Rouda, CaliforniaScott Peters, CaliforniaDoris Matsui, CaliforniaDiana DeGette, ColoradoJoe Neguse, ColoradoJim Himes, ConnecticutVal Demings, FloridaDebbie Mucarsel-Powell, FloridaDanny K. Davis, IllinoisJan Schakowsky, IllinoisJess Garca, IllinoisRobin Kelly, IllinoisBobby Rush, IllinoisMike Quigley, IllinoisSean Casten, IllinoisCedric Richmond, LouisianaAyanna Pressley, MassachusettsJim McGovern, MassachusettsJoseph Kennedy, MassachusettsSeth Moulton, MassachusettsJamie Raskin, MarylandChellie Pingree, MaineAndy Levin, MichiganBrenda Lawrence, MichiganDaniel Kildee, MichiganRashida Tlaib, MichiganBetty McCollum, MinnesotaIlhan Omar, MinnesotaWilliam Lacy Clay, MissouriBennie Thompson, MississippiBill Pascrell, New JerseyBonnie Watson Coleman, New JerseyDonald Norcross, New JerseyTom Malinowski, New JerseyAdriano Espaillat, New YorkAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New YorkCarolyn Maloney, New YorkNydia Velzquez, New YorkPaul Tonko, New YorkYvette Clarke, New YorkKathleen Rice, New YorkBrian Higgins, New YorkAlma Adams, North CarolinaG.K. Butterfield, North CarolinaJoyce Beatty, OhioTim Ryan, OhioMarcia Fudge, OhioEarl Blumenauer, OregonSuzanne Bonamici, OregonBrendan Boyle, PennsylvaniaDwight Evans, PennsylvaniaMadeleine Dean, PennsylvaniaMary Gay Scanlon, PennsylvaniaMike Doyle, PennsylvaniaDavid Cicilline, Rhode IslandSteve Cohen, TennesseeAl Green, TexasFilemon Vela, TexasJoaquin Castro, TexasLloyd Doggett, TexasVeronica Escobar, TexasPeter Welch, VermontDon Beyer, VirginiaPramila Jayapal, WashingtonRick Larsen, WashingtonSlideshow (4 Images)Adam Smith, WashingtonGwen Moore, WisconsinMark Pocan, Wisconsin