President Trump's impeachment trial is entering a pivotal week. His defense team resumes its case on Monday, and senators face a critical vote on whether to hear witnesses or proceed directly to a vote that's widely expected to end in Trump's acquittal.
The Senate impeachment trial is expected to resume at 1 p.m. ET. Watch live below, courtesy of PBS NewsHour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LPw7eoXFE8
Those decisions on witnesses may be complicated by reports that Trump said he wanted to maintain a freeze on military assistance to Ukraine until it aided political investigations into his Democratic rivals.
Those allegations come from a draft of a forthcoming book by former national security adviser John Bolton. A draft had been sent to the White House as part of a standard review process. The revelation challenges the defense offered up by Trump and his attorneys.
The articles of impeachment charge Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Trump's defense team argues that Democrats are trying to subvert the 2016 election and this fall's contest, and accuses impeachment prosecutors of cherrypicking evidence and omitting information favorable to the president.
The Capitol Hill maneuvering will be complemented by high-stakes efforts on both sides of the aisle to claim political advantage from the proceedings as the presidential nominating season kicks off in Iowa on February 3.
