The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to appoint and authorize managers for the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, sending two impeachment articles to the Senate to allow the trial to get underway next week.
The resolution was adopted by a vote of 228-193.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the managers are expected to hold an engrossment ceremony at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. After that, the managers will immediately walk across the Capitol to deliver the charges to the Republican-led Senate.
"Here we go again, another Con Job by the Do Nothing Democrats," Trump tweeted shortly after Pelosi announced on Wednesday morning seven managers who will present case against the president at the Senate trial, on which only the third time a U.S. president has been put in the country's history.
Trump was impeached by the Democrat-controlled House on charges of abusing power and obstruction of Congress in mid-December.
The managers are Adam Schiff of California, Jerry Nadler of New York, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Jason Crow of Colorado, Zoe Lofgren of California, Val Demings of Florida, and Sylvia Garcia of Texas, said Pelosi. All are Democratic lawmakers.
In response, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham accused Pelosi of lying when she described the impeachment process as urgent and claimed she has been "focused on politics instead of the American people."
"She failed and the naming of these managers does not change a single thing. President Trump has done nothing wrong. He looks forward to having the due process rights in the Senate that Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats denied to him, and expects to be fully exonerated," Grisham said in a statement.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday the Senate trial on Trump impeachment is likely to get underway on Jan. 21. It remains unclear if any witnesses will be called.
