Pelosi set to send articles of impeachment against Trump to the Senate

The standoff over articles of impeachment against President Trump is just about over.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Friday that she has asked House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) to "be prepared to bring to the floor next week a resolution to appoint managers and transmit articles of impeachment to the Senate."

Appointing impeachment managers was the next step after the House of Representatives in December voted in favor of two articles of impeachment charging Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, but Pelosi said shortly after the vote that she was waiting to see whether the process would be "fair" in the Senate before doing so.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

A standoff between Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) lasted several weeks afterward as Democrats sought an agreement on witnesses in the trial. The Republican leader said Wednesday, though, that "there will be no haggling with the House over Senate procedure" and "we will not cede our authority to try this impeachment." Now, Pelosi has indicated she's ready to initiate the process of sending the articles over.

Pelosi had been facing pressure from some Democrats to transmit the impeachment articles to the Senate. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), for example, said Thursday "it is time" for her to do, though Smith later walked this comment back and claimed he "misspoke."

In her letter, Pelosi also tells Democrats she will consult with them on Tuesday, the same day as the next Democratic debate.