Washington: A "solemn day" or a "showtrial"?
Americans and the world can decide for themselves as House Democrats let the public into the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.
With the bang of a gavel, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff opens the first hearings on Wednesday into Trump's pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden's family. Big questions loom, including how strongly officials connected what Trump called that "favor" to US military aid for Ukraine.
Impeachable offenses? Worthy of Trump's removal? And, critically, will a parade of diplomats and their accounts nudge more Americans behind formally charging Trump in the shadow of the 2020 elections?
Here's what to know about the first hearing, with the charge d'affaires in Ukraine, William Taylor, and a career diplomat, George Kent, at the witness table, beginning at 10 am.
WHO'S UP FIRST?
Shortly after Schiff's gavel, he and ranking Republican Devin Nunes will begin the questioning. They get 45 minutes each or can designate staff attorneys to do so.
Members of the panel will then get five minutes each to ask questions, alternating between Republicans and Democrats.
There will also be exhibits. Democrats, at least, are expected to display excerpts from transcripts, text messages, relevant news articles, and social media posts.
The goal is to end the hearing by 4:30 pm.
FIRST, KNOW THIS
"The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."
Expect numerous mentions of Article 2, Section 4 of the Constitution, especially on whether Trump's own words and actions meet the vague threshold of "high crimes and misdemeanors." Some Democrats and diplomats say conditioning US aid on whether Ukraine goes after Biden's son Hunter sounds like "bribery." Republicans deny that, saying Trump did not explicitly offer aid for the Biden probe.
What it's not: a trial, which would be conducted by the Senate if the House approves articles of impeachment. So no matter what the president tweets, he is not entitled to a defense attorney. The proceedings are the due process he says he's being denied, though they are controlled by Democrats in ways Republicans will say is unfair.
... AND THIS
It's only the fourth time in American history that Congress has launched impeachment proceedings against a sitting president. Two of those — against Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton 130 years later — resulted in their impeachments, or formal charges approved by the House. Both were acquitted by the Senate.
Former President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 before the House could vote to impeach him.
THE SPIN
With only hours to go before the gavel, Republicans and Democrats from Congress to the campaign trail were spinning their points of view.
"Well, it's a calm day, it's a prayerful day, it's a solemn day for our country," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday night on the eve of the hearings. "It's a sad day, which I wish we never had to face."
"A phony showtrial," Trump groused a few hours later.
Trump also has called the process a "total impeachment scam." He's offering his own counterprogramming with a White House visit from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which is its own story of war, trade and tension.
THE SPARK
A whistleblower's complaint about Trump's July 25 telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ignited the impeachment investigation. Trump responded on Sept. 24 by releasing a rough transcript.
During the hearing Wednesday, listen for discussion about a key exchange during that 30-minute call, in which Zelenskiy invokes the still-blocked military aid and the U.S. president responds: "I would like you to do us a favor though." Trump then asks Zelenskiy to investigate a debunked conspiracy theory about the 2016 election, and later explicitly mentions the Bidens.