The House of Representatives will hold a vote on Wednesday to send the articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate for trial.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) told lawmakers on Tuesday that a resolution to appoint impeachment trial managers will also be introduced to the House floor on Wednesday, the New York Times reported. The House’s impeachment managers will be sitting lawmakers, while the President’s defense will be led by legal counsel.
Trump is expected to appoint White House counsel Pat Cipollone and personal lawyer Jay Sekulow as members of his defense team in the Senate.
The vote will mark the third time in American history that a president has been put on trial in impeachment proceedings. If the vote goes according to schedule, newly appointed House impeachment managers will ceremonially proceed to the Senate with the articles.
The outline of the Senate trial, particularly regarding the question of witnesses, was still unclear as of Tuesday. Senate Republicans on Tuesday appeared to waver as to whether witnesses will be allowed to testify as part of the trial, setting up a possible conflict with the Trump administration.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) indicated to Politico that he would prefer not to call on witnesses to testify.
“If the existing case is strong, there’s no need for the judge and the jury to reopen the investigation,” McConnell said. “If the existing case is weak, House Democrats should not have impeached…”