House Rules Committee meets ahead of historic impeachment vote
The House of Representatives rules committee will meet Tuesday morning to set the ground rules of what will be an historic impeachment vote on President Donald Trump.
The committee began meeting shortly before 11:30 a.m., and debate is focusing around how the overall House vote will be conducted.
A vote on the president’s impeachment is expected Wednesday.
»INTERACTIVE: Impeachment tracker
There are nine Democrats on the rules committee and four Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Rod Woodall (R-7) of Georgia.
Trump faces two articles of impeachment by House Democrats: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. They point to Trump pressuring Ukraine to investigate 2020 political rival Joe Biden while withholding as leverage military aid the country relies to counter Russia as well as his efforts to block the House investigation.
»RELATED: Georgia's Collins delivers scathing dissent of Judiciary Committee impeachment report
A Senate impeachment trial could begin as soon as Jan. 9.
Trump would become only the third U.S. president to be impeached, following Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. The House Judiciary Committee had passed articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon, who resigned before the full House could vote.
If Trump is impeached this week, he would face a trial in the Senate, where Republicans hold a majority, making his actual removal from office highly unlikely.
»MORE: Which U.S. presidents have faced impeachment?
Trump has expressed interest in a robust trial that would not only clear him of the charges in the Senate but also vindicate him, but his desire for a lengthy proceeding is something Senate Republicans are hoping to avoid.