Article II: Inside Impeachment

One week after a violent mob attacked the US Capitol building, the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump for “incitement of insurrection.” Donald Trump is the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice. Several Republicans joined their Democratic colleagues in arguing that the President is a clear and present danger to the country. But many House Republicans said that voting to impeach a second time will incite further division and violence in America. Host...

In this final episode, Steve Kornacki sits down with NBC News journalists to reflect on what it was like to cover the impeachment of President Donald Trump. NBC News Correspondent Leigh Ann Caldwell, NBC News producer covering the Senate Frank Thorp, and senior White House reporter for NBC News Shannon Pettypiece open up their reporters’ notebooks to share their favorite moments from this historic event. For a transcript, please visit https://www.nbcnews.com/articletwo.

Senators voted to acquit President Trump, finding him not guilty on two articles of impeachment. Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, surprised the public by voting to convict President Trump on the first article: abuse of power. He is the first Senator in history to vote against their party in favor of removing the president from office. Otherwise, the votes fell along party lines. Alex Moe, NBC News Capitol Hill Producer, recaps the final historic hours on the Senate floor and...

Impeachment and the race for 2020 are colliding. On Monday, House Managers and President Trump’s defense team made their final arguments for and against convicting the President. Meanwhile, the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses launched the 2020 election into the primary voting phase. The Democratic candidates – four of them US Senators – are vying for voters caught between impeachment and November's election. President Trump is trying to craft a re-election message as the impeachment...

Following four hours of debate, the Senate rejected a motion to consider more witnesses and documents by a vote of 49 to 51. Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah were the only two Republicans to join their Democratic colleagues in this vote. After the failed vote on witnesses, Senators met to game out the trial’s timeline. Frank Thorp, NBC News producer covering the Senate, explains the Senate’s plans for an end to the trial that will likely result in the President...

The end of the Senate impeachment trial is drawing near with an unpredictable day ahead. First, the Senate will debate for four hours on whether to call new witnesses to trial. Then, they will take a vote on the witness question. After that, Senators could put forward new motions to extend debate on the Senate floor into the days ahead, or they could move quickly to a final vote on the two articles of impeachment today. Frank Thorp, NBC News producer covering the Senate, lays out what to...

On Wednesday, the Senate trial moved into a two-day question and answer period. Senators have 16 hours to ask questions of the impeachment managers and President Trump’s defense team. Democrats used their time to convince their fellow Senators to call new witnesses in the trial, like former National Security Advisor John Bolton. Republicans used their time to argue that the President’s conduct is not impeachable and that evidence should not extend beyond what was gathered by the House of...

President Trump’s legal team continued its defense in a second day of arguments, but new allegations are overshadowing the case. In the manuscript for his upcoming book, Former National Security Advisor John Bolton alleges that President Trump directed him to withhold aid to Ukraine in exchange for an investigation into Joe Biden. The revelations are increasing pressure on Senate Republicans who are weighing whether to call witnesses. Shannon Pettypiece, senior White House reporter for NBC...

On Friday, Democratic House managers concluded their opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial. Three of the seven House managers are women, and two are women of color, a first in US political history. Kasie Hunt, Capitol Hill Correspondent and Host of Kasie DC, discusses her exclusive TODAY interview with those representatives: Zoe Lofgren, Val Demings and Sylvia Garcia. Kasie also outlines the role they play in the Senate trial and how Senate politics have evolved since the last...

It’s day one of opening arguments in the impeachment trial of President Trump. Over the course of many hours, House Managers argued their case for the removal of the President and the need for witnesses and documents. They are making these arguments to the American public, but also to the 100 Senators who are acting as jurors in this trial. Steve Kornacki is joined by Frank Thorp, NBC News producer covering the Senate, to talk about the Republican Senators who may be persuaded to side with...

On Tuesday, the Senate impeachment trial began in earnest, with hours of debate over how it should be run. Steve Kornacki explains the last-minute changes made by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who amended his own set of rules in response to pressure from moderate Republican Senators. Have a question about the Senate trial or something else impeachment-related? Email our host Steve Kornacki at articletwopodcast@gmail.com. For a transcript, please visit...

The Senate trial is officially underway, with the Chief Justice and members of the Senate sworn in this week. But in a last-minute addition to the evidence, an associate of Rudy Giuliani gave the House of Representatives documents that shed new light on the Ukrainian pressure campaign. Parnas, who is out on bond on federal campaign finance charges, also spoke publicly this week for the first time about his involvement in the scheme. Josh Lederman, national political reporter for NBC News,...

It’s official. Today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named the seven house managers and transmitted two articles of impeachment, abuse of power and obstruction of justice, to the Senate. It is still unclear whether the trial, which is set to begin next week, will include witness testimony. Steve Kornacki talks to Alex Moe, NBC News Capitol Hill Producer, about the historic week day in Washington and the Senate’s next move. Have a question about this stage of impeachment? Ask our host Steve...

After a weeks-long standoff, the House of Representatives appears ready to move forward on impeachment. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reportedly preparing to appoint impeachment managers and send the articles to the Senate as early as this week. MSNBC Washington Correspondent Garrett Haake lays out what to expect from a Senate trial and weighs whether the delay tactic used by House Democrats helped their case. Have a question about this stage of impeachment? Ask our host Steve Kornacki:...

After a weeks-long standoff with Republicans, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told her Democratic colleagues she plans on holding a vote on the house managers next week before sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts will govern the proceedings. NBC Justice Correspondent Pete Williams joins Steve Kornacki to talk about the Chief Justice’s role and recalls his time covering former Chief Justice William Rehnquist during the Clinton Senate...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he has the votes to proceed with a Senate trial, but the House has yet to transmit the articles. So today, while our current impeachment process is on hold, we’re going back in time, to 1999. Former Florida Congressman Bill McCollum served as one of 13 house managers during Senate impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton. McCollum talks about his role during the trial, the political fallout of being a house manager, and what he thinks about the...

The House of Representatives still hasn’t sent the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Now, Congress faces another major decision. After President Trump authorized a strike to kill Iranian General Qassem Soleimani late last week, Democrats are presenting a new resolution to limit the president’s war powers. Mark Murray, senior political editor, discusses how Congress is balancing impeachment and the threat of a war with Iran. Have a question about this stage of impeachment? Ask our host...

Every President of the United States must swear to a 35-word oath, promising to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. Special guest and MSNBC Contributor Chuck Rosenberg joins Steve Kornacki to discuss the founders’ intent behind that oath and what happens when it's put to the test. Chuck Rosenberg served as a career federal prosecutor and later as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. He has also served in senior positions at the Department of Justice for...

The impeachment process is in limbo as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to delay sending the articles to the Senate. Demcratic leaders say they want to ensure a fair process in the Senate. So what will this trial look like? Guest host Julia Ainsley, NBC News Correspondent covering the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, talks to Frank Thorp, NBC News producer and reporter covering the Senate, about the rules governing a Senate trial and what to expect from this next phase in...

President Trump's impeachment hasn’t stopped his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, from trying to defend his client. While impeachment proceedings were underway, Giuliani travelled to Hungary and Ukraine where he met with former Ukranian officials. Giuliani says they can provide information that will exonerate Trump, but much of that information is based on conspiracy theories. Dan De Luce, national security and global affairs reporter for the investigative unit at NBC News, explains the cast...