House passes resolution outlining impeachment procedures

The vote came as lawmakers prepare to launch the public phase of their inquiry.

Update 12 p.m. EDT Oct. 31: President Donald Trump's daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump responded to Thursday's vote with a quote from a letter former President Thomas Jefferson sent to his daughter, Martha.

"'...surrounded by enemies and spies catching and perverting every word that falls from my lips or flows from my pen, and inventing where facts fail them,'" Ivanka Trump wrote, quoting Jefferson. "Some things never change, dad!"

Update 11:45 a.m. EDT Oct. 31: White House officials slammed the decision Thursday by the House of Representatives to approve of impeachment procedures as the inquiry into President Donald Trump continues.

"The Democrats want to render a verdict without giving the Administration a chance to mount a defense," White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said Thursday in a statement. "That is unfair, unconstitutional, and fundamentally un-American."

Trump and his Republican colleagues previously criticized Democrats for holding closed-door depositions as part of the impeachment inquiry. The Constitution doesn't require a vote to begin impeachment, but Trump has cited the lack of one to say that the probe is not real.

Update 11:35 a.m. EDT Oct. 31: The House voted 232 to 196 on Thursday in favor of setting rules for the ongoing impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.

The vote fell mostly along party-lines, with two Democrats defecting to vote against the resolution.

The measure laid down the rules as lawmakers transition from weeks of closed-door interviews with witnesses to public hearings and ultimately to possible votes on whether to recommend Trump's removal from office.

After the vote, Trump took to Twitter to slam the investigation, calling it "The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History!"

Update 11:25 a.m. EDT Oct. 31: The House passed a resolution Thursday morning to formalize impeachment procedures against President Donald Trump.

Update 11:20 a.m. EDT Oct. 31: A procedural vote passed the House on Thursday morning to move forward with the resolution to set parameters for the ongoing impeachment inquiry.

The resolution passed 228 to 189, mostly along party lines. The House is expected to vote shortly on the impeachment resolution, which will formalize impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.

Update 11:10 a.m. EDT Oct. 31: President Donald Trump slammed what he called the "impeachment hoax" Thursday as the House considered a procedural resolution to move forward with a resolution to set the rules for the ongoing impeachment inquiry.

"The Impeachment Hoax is hurting our Stock Market," Trump wrote. "The Do Nothing Democrats don’t care!"

The procedural resolution was expected to pass, CNN reported.

Original report: Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the vote Monday to affirm the impeachment investigation, set rules for public hearings and outline the potential process for writing articles of impeachment against Trump. The vote will mark the first formal House vote on the impeachment inquiry.

The Associated Press reported the Democratic-controlled House was expected to approve the measure, which was unveiled Tuesday, along party-lines.

"As much as this president flaunts the Constitution, we are going to protect it," House Rules Committee Chairman James McGovern, D-Mass, said Wednesday as his panel debated the procedures. "We will stand up for the Constitution and defend the rule of law."

The proposed rules lay out how the House Intelligence Committee -- now leading the investigation by deposing diplomats and other officials behind closed doors -- would transition to public hearings. They also direct House committees "to continue their ongoing investigations of Trump."

The Constitution doesn't require a vote to begin impeachment but Trump and his Republican colleagues have cited the lack of one to say that the probe is not real.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.