OnPolitics: ‘The president is impeached.’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., strikes the gavel after announcing the passage of article II of impeachment against President Donald Trump, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) (Photo: Patrick Semansky, AP)

After nearly three full months of debate, sniping, hand-wringing and truly tumultuous days in our nation’s history, at 8:25 p.m. EST Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump. 

“We did all we could, Elijah, we passed the two articles of impeachment,” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosisaid in a post-vote press conference, referencing the late Rep. Elijah Cummings. “The president is impeached.”  

It was a largely expected vote, and largely along party lines, with no Republicans voting yes on either article of impeachment. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Democrat Wednesday night, voted against impeachment and confirmed his switch to the Republican party Thursday with Trump at his side.

But Wednesday night offered a bit of a surreal political split screen, with Trump taking the stage at a rally in Battle Creek, Michigan, just as the House was voting. He seemed to take it all in stride.

“This lawless partisan impeachment is a political suicide march for the Democrat party,” he told the crowd. “Have you seen my polls in the last four weeks?”

He has a point: A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll this week has Trump beating all of his top Democratic rivals in head-to-head matchups. 

As far as what happens next, well, we’ll see. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumermet Thursday afternoon to discuss the next steps as impeachment heads to the Senate. Afterward, McConnell said “we remain at an impasse” on the process for a Senate trial.

Stay tuned. 

Democratic presidential candidates from left, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and businessman Tom Steyer vie to answer questions during a Democratic presidential primary debate Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) (Photo: Chris Carlson, AP)

This week in 2020

While all eyes were on the Capitol, the Democrats running for president took to the debate stage in Los Angeles. There were barbs over wine caves. There were questions over the party’s diversity. Former President Obama even got a few mentions.

Who won and who lost? Reporters Savannah Behrmann and Rebecca Morin broke that down for you. What were the top moments? Jeanine Santucci has you covered. Want the full blow by blow? We’ve got you. 

Thanks, as always, for reading. We’re taking a few weeks off to celebrate the holidays and the end of the year with family and friends. We hope you get some time off to do the same. Cheers to 2020. — Annah Aschbrenner 

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