72 photos show all of the key moments from Trump's impeachment
The impeachment trial against President Donald Trump is over. On Wednesday, he was acquitted of both charges after a Senate trial.
In December, House Democrats had unveiled two impeachment articles against Trump, charging him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
The charges center around the investigation into whether Trump's attempts to get Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter amount to an impeachable offense.
President Donald Trump is a free man.
On February 5, he was acquitted on both impeachment charges — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress —after a quick Senate trial that began in the third week of January.
House Democrats previously pursued several months of private and public hearings to investigate whether Trump pressured Ukraine's president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, by threatening to withhold $400 million in military aid.
House committees first investigated behind closed doors, and then with televised hearings. Witnesses and questioners were both under intense scrutiny. Democrats were hoping the publicized hearings would convince the public that Trump should be impeached. Republicans were trying their best to distract and make the case that Trump should stay in office.
The two sides again faced off after the impeachment trial moved to the Senate, with lead House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff delivering a stirring opening statement and Trump's defense team putting on what Business Insider's Sonam Sheth described as a "masterclass in disinformation."
Here's a look back at Trump's impeachment, in photos.
On September 24, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Congress was launching an impeachment inquiry to look into an anonymous complaint that accused President Donald Trump of pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. She said Trump's actions had betrayed his oath as president, national security, and the integrity of US elections.
Andrew Harnik / AP
Source: PRI
Trump was accused of withholding $400 million in military aid unless Ukraine investigated former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter for corruption. The two leaders happened to meet at the UN on September 25.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
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That same day, the White House released a memo detailing the call. It showed Trump told Zelensky the US did "a lot for Ukraine," and the phrase, "I would like you to do us a favor though."
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Source: Business Insider
The impeachment inquiry began behind closed doors, much to Republicans' chagrin. Democrats said they began with confidential testimonies to maintain the integrity of the investigation. Explosive information still leaked out, though.
Sources: PRI, Business Insider, The New York Times
On October 23, tensions boiled over, when a group of 30 Republicans stormed a closed-door meeting, and delayed testimony by five hours over safety concerns.
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Sources: Washington Post, Business Insider
On October 31, the House of Representatives voted 232-196 in favor of formalizing the impeachment inquiry. This meant the next stage of the proceedings would be outlined, and included the plan to make the hearings public. Trump tweeted that it was "The Greatest Witch Hunt in American History."
Mark Wilson / Getty
Sources: Business Insider, CNBC
On November 13, the hearings went public. This raised the stakes. When former President Richard Nixon's impeachment was televised, 80% of America tuned in for at least some of the hearing.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty
Sources: PRI, The New York Times
By televising the hearings, the Democrats were giving the public a direct look at the key figures, the process, and the allegations, hoping it would sway the public to support impeaching the president.
Robert F. Bukaty / AP
Source: Business Insider
Rep. Adam Schiff heads the House Intelligence Committee and is playing a key role in the proceedings. The Washington Post described his methodical approach as bringing a "prosecutor's sensibility" to the role, by staying calm and refusing to be baited.
Caroline Brehman / CQ-Roll Call Inc / Getty
Sources: The Atlantic, The Washington Post
The public hearings began with Bill Taylor, the acting US ambassador to Ukraine. Taylor confirmed the quid pro quo between Trump and Ukraine, and said in his entire career, spanning decades, he had never seen a president do as Trump had done.
Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla
Source: Business Insider
Republicans used a variety of defenses to confuse and distract during the hearings, including characterizing Taylor and Kent's testimonies (which were given under oath) as inaccurate hearsay.
Drew Angerer / Getty
Source: Business Insider
Another tactic was calling for the anonymous whistleblower to publicly testify. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, one of the most vocal Republicans during the hearings, said it was a sad day for the country that they would never get a chance to question the whistleblower, whom he described, despite not knowing the person's identity, as biased against Trump.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
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Democratic Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont shot back and said, "I say to my colleague, I'd be glad to have the person who started it all come in and testify — President Trump is welcome to take a seat right there." His response was greeted with laughter.
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Source: Business Insider
Former US Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch testified on November 15. She said she was removed from her post because she got in the way of efforts by the Trump administration to get Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. But while Trump said he had lost confidence in her, she said she'd done nothing wrong, and called her ouster a "smear campaign."
Andrew Harnik / AP
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, PRI
Daniel Goldman, director of investigations for the House Intelligence Committee, was a key interviewer during the hearings, and got the most from Yovanovitch.
Susan Walsh / AP
Source: Business Insider
He asked her two key questions — had she, in her 33 years as a foreign-service officer, ever had concerns about her job performance, and had she heard of a US president recalling an ambassador based on false allegations. To both she answered, "no."
Associated Press
Source: Business Insider
Trump's past and current tweets played a part in the proceedings. As Trump attacked her in real time on Twitter, saying everywhere she went "turned bad," Yovanovitch was asked how she felt about the tweets.
Joshua Roberts / Pool / Getty
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She told the committee it was "very intimidating," to be publicly smeared. Experts told Business Insider's Eliza Relman that the tweets amounted to witness intimidation.
Associated Press
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Like Kent, Yovanovitch stayed hydrated in her nearly seven hours of testimony.
Saul Loeb / AFP / GettyWhen Yovanovitch finished her testimony, the audience and some members of Congress broke into applause, which is highly unusual.
Win McNamee/Getty
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On November 19, Vice President Mike Pence's foreign service aid Jennifer Williams gave her testimony. She and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who sat beside her, were the first White House officials to publicly testify. She said Trump's phone call with Ukraine was "unusual," since it was discussing domestic policy, rather than foreign policy goals in Ukraine.
Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
Sources: Business Insider, Politico
Vindman, a Purple Heart recipient, testified that Trump's request was "improper," and that he had recognized "without hesitation," that he had to report Trump for his request. "It was my duty to report my concerns to the proper people in the chain of command," he said.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Sources: Business Insider, Politico
Visibly shaking, Vindman brought a human element to the hearing, reminding viewers that some of those who were testifying didn't often speak in public, but had been thrust into the spotlight. He spoke directly to his father saying, the fact he was sitting there testifying was proof his father made the right decision to come to America from Russia 40 years earlier in search of a better life. "Do not worry," he said, "I will be fine for telling the truth."
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Source: Business Insider
Even so, Republican counsel Steve Castor did his best to dismiss Vindman's testimony by alluding to the possibility his loyalty was divided, since he had been offered a position in the Ukrainian government three times. Vindman, who had rejected the offers and told his chain of command about them, shot the insinuations down. He said, "I'm an American. I came here when I was a toddler, and I immediately dismissed these offers. I did not entertain them."
Shawn Thew - Pool/Getty
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Rep. Devin Nunes, the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, tried and failed to get Vindman to reveal who the whistleblower is. Vindman refused to disclose any information about them, and Schiff told Nunes, "The whistleblower has the statutory right to anonymity. These proceedings will not be used to out the whistleblower."
Alex Wong/Getty
Source: Business Insider
That afternoon, Ambassador Kurt Volker, the former US envoy to Ukraine, gave dramatically different testimony from what he'd said behind closed doors. He'd previously said Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani hadn't pushed for a corruption investigation in a meeting between US and Ukrainian officials. But publicly he testified that Sondland, who was to testify after him, had made "a generic comment about investigations," which he and others found "inappropriate."
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Source: Business Insider
He also dismissed accusations of corruption against Joe Biden's son Hunter, which Republicans had leaned on as a justification for Trump asking Ukraine to investigate. Volker said the accusations weren't credible, and a "conspiracy."
Chip Somodevilla/Getty
Source: Business Insider
White House aide Tim Morrison, who sat beside Volker during the hearing and had heard the phone call between Trump and Ukraine, testified that investigating the Bidens "was not a policy objective." While he said he wasn't worried about the content of the call, he worried there could be "political consequences" if the call's contents were made public.
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Sources: Business Insider, CBS News
On November 20, Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the EU, testified. Despite gaps in his memory from a lack of note taking, his testimony was explosive. Right away, he said "yes," Trump had engaged in a quid pro quo with Ukraine. He produced emails incriminating Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, which showed Pompeo knew about Trump's attempt to pressure Ukraine. "Everyone was in the loop," he said.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Sources: Business Insider, Business Insider, The New York Times
He also said that while he worked alongside Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, it was against his will. "Simply put, we were playing the hand we were dealt."
Leah Millis/Reuters
Sources: Business Insider, Business Insider, The New York Times
During his testimony, Sondland mentioned A$AP Rocky at least five times, since the rapper had caused him to remember a conversation with Trump he'd had that he'd previously forgotten, where he said Trump asked about Ukraine investigating the Bidens for corruption.
Associated Press
Sources: Business Insider, Business Insider, Fox News
His memory became a focus for Republicans. While they'd begun his testimony by warning him he was there "to be smeared," a few hours later, it was Republican counsel Castor calling Sondland's testimony into question, when he said, "You don't have records, you don't have notes because you don't take notes, and you don't have recollections. This is a trifecta of unreliability."
Sources: Business Insider, Business Insider
Sondland confirmed he never spoke directly to Trump about a quid pro quo and said he had been told to speak to Giuliani about Ukraine instead. But he said he had spoken with Trump about 20 times, which contradicted comments Trump made that they didn't know each other very well.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Source: Business Insider
In response to heated comments from GOP Rep. Mike Turner, who said Sondland's presumptions about withholding aid from Ukraine were based on "hearsay evidence," Sondland said, "I never said the president of the United States should be impeached."
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Source: Business Insider
Another bout of applause filled the hearing room when Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier replied to Republican Rep. Mike Conaway saying the Washington Post fact-check gave "three Pinocchios" to a claim that the whistleblower had a statutory right to immunity. "The president has five Pinocchios on a daily basis, so let's not go there," she shot back.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP Images
Sources: Business Insider, The Hill
The next person to testify was Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary at the State Department. She told the hearing that on the day of Trump's phone call with Ukraine, the State Department received two emails asking about frozen military aid. One was from Ukrainian officials, the other was from a House committee. A third query came from a Ukrainian embassy official asking what was going on.
Source: Business Insider
These queries were important, because they destroyed Trump's claim that it was impossible to perceive his phone call as putting pressure on Ukraine, since he said the freeze on military aid was only discovered weeks later. Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell told Cooper, "Your testimony today destroys two of the pillars of the president's defense and one justification for his conduct."
Alex Wong/Getty
Source: Business Insider
Undersecretary of state for political affairs at the State Department David Hale was the last to speak on November 20. He said three important things: the first was that Yovanovitch had been wrongly removed, and she should have been able to continue doing her "outstanding" work. The second was that the State Department had pushed back against withholding aid from Ukraine.
AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
Source: Business Insider
The third revelation Hale made was that the only agency that backed withholding support from Ukraine was the Office of Management and Budget, which is run by Mick Mulvaney, the White House's acting chief of staff.
Associated Press/Evan Vucci
Source: Business Insider
Holmes also confirmed that former national security adviser John Bolton, who has refused to testify, had said in a meeting that military aid wouldn't be given to Ukraine until Ukraine's president had impressed Trump.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Source: Business Insider, Politico
Former White House national security aide Fiona Hill testified next. She began by dismissing claims it was Ukraine and not Russia that interfered in the 2016 US elections. She said promoting these political falsehoods needed to stop because they were helping Russia's interests. "These fictions are harmful even if they are deployed for purely domestic political purposes." She also said the attacks on Yovanovitch were "shameful."
Andrew Harnik/AP Images
Sources: Business Insider, Business Insider
After Hill's testimony, the committee drafted a report on what it had heard during the inquiry to send to the House Judiciary Committee.
Matt McClain / Pool / AFP / Getty
Source: NPR
On December 3, The House Intelligence Committee released its 300-page draft inquiry report, which concluded that Trump had conditioned "a White House meeting and military aid to Ukraine on a public announcement of investigations beneficial to his reelection campaign." It said the evidence for impeaching Trump was "overwhelming."
Eric Baradat / AFP / Getty
Sources: Business Insider, BBC
It also found that Republican Rep. Devin Nunes had been in contact with Giuliani, Ukrainian businessman Lev Parnas, and investigative reporter John Solomon. All three are implicated in the impeachment hearing. Solomon and Giuliani both played a key role in the removal of Yovanovitch.
Source: Business Insider
On December 4, the House Judiciary Committee took over. This committee is in charge of drafting the impeachment articles. It's chaired by Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York.
Associated Press
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In its first public hearing, four legal experts testified. They were: Harvard Law School professor Noah Feldman, Stanford Law School professor Pamela Karlan, University of North Carolina School of Law professor Michael Gerhardt, and George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley.
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As Insider's Sonam Sheth reported, the House Intelligence Committee conducted its hearings with fact witnesses geared toward gathering evidence before handing the investigation over. In contrast, the Judiciary hearings were focused on Democrats and Republicans laying out the case for and against impeachment.
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The three witnesses invited by Democrats — Feldman, Karlan, and Gerhardt — all firmly said Trump should be held accountable for soliciting Ukrainian interference. Karlan said, "What has happened in the case before you is something that I do not think we have ever seen before."
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Source: Business Insider
But Turley, Republican's legal witness, said Trump shouldn't be impeached, because there was no evidence that he had broken any federal law, and impeachment would set a dangerous precedent. He said he was concerned about lowering the standard to "fit a paucity of evidence and an abundance of anger."
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But 20 years earlier, when it was former President Bill Clinton facing impeachment, Turley gave contradictory testimony. Then, he said he was concerned about failing to impeach leading to expanding "the space for executive conduct."
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Feldman responded, and said that he agreed that Turley was right to be wary of impeaching someone who hadn't violated any laws. "But the Constitution, the supreme law of the land, specifies bribery as a ground of impeachment, as it specifies other high crimes and misdemeanors. Bribery had a clear meaning," Feldman said.
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Alongside the serious discussion, the hearing also had its fair share of mudslinging and theatrics. Some of the most fiery moments included Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz's suggestion that former President Barack Obama should be impeached. Rep. Jim Jordan suggested the sworn testimonies were hearsay.
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On December 9, as the next set of hearings got underway, proceedings were interrupted by an employee of right-wing conspiracy site Infowars. Shroyer yelled out, "We voted for Donald Trump and they're simply removing him because they don't like him. ... We know who committed the crimes and it wasn't Trump. Trump is innocent!"
Alex Brandon/AP Images
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There were also a few new signs from Republicans who want Rep. Adam Schiff to testify about his work as chairman of the Intelligence Committee. Schiff had refused. One read "Where's Adam?" while another featured a picture of Schiff on a milk carton with the word "Missing" on it.
Michael Brochstein / Echoes Wire / Barcroft Media / Getty
Source: The New York Times
After the protester was removed, Democrat staff lawyers Daniel Goldman and Barry Berke and Republican lawyer Stephen Castor testified. Goldman said Trump was "a clear and present danger."
Zach Gibson/Getty
Source: Washington Post
Berke testified without notes, saying impeachment was necessary, and then changed roles and questioned the other lawyers, who were testifying. According to The Atlantic, Republicans were astounded. Rep. Doug Collins said he could ask questions or he could answer them but he couldn't do both. But Nadler said Berke was appearing on behalf of the Judiciary Committee.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post / Getty
Sources: The New York Times, The Atlantic
Then, on December 10, House Democrats unveiled two articles of impeachment against Trump, both relating to Ukraine. One charges him with abuse of power and the other charges him with obstructing Congress. During the press conference, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers were impeaching Trump to "honor our oath of office."
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On December 18, the House of Representatives held a widely watched hearing before officially voting to pass two articles of impeachment against Trump.
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The successful vote proved historic as Trump was impeached with more votes against him than any other president, which triggered his allies to rally even closer around him as he geared up for the process to move forward.
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On January 16, the trial arrived at the Senate when appointed House managers, who act as prosecutors, arrived on the Senate floor after walking silently across the Capitol in accordance with tradition to present the articles of impeachment.
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The trial surfaced some peculiar rules that govern the Senate, including barring iPhones, talking, and standing. The only food and drink allowed is water, milk, and candy, which Sen. Pat Toomey notably stocks by the cart to keep his co-workers energized.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
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Lead House impeachment manager Schiff delivered an impassioned opening statement that noted the historic proceedings and slammed Trump, saying he "has acted precisely as Hamilton and his contemporaries had feared."
Senate Television via Getty Images
Source: The Washington Post
On January 24, the impeachment managers made their final opening arguments for Trump's removal from office, which focused on Trump's "unprecedented" obstruction of the impeachment inquiry.
Source: Business Insider
Team Trump took the stage on January 25 for their opening arguments, which Business Insider's Sonam Sheth reported was "a masterclass in disinformation."
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On the defense's second day, Trump's lawyers argued against bringing in John Bolton to testify, after The New York Times reported he had been personally told by Trump that aid would be withheld from Ukraine. This came from Bolton's unpublished memoir.
Luis M. Alvarez / AP
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On January 29, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts spent hours reading out written questions from senators. He refused to read out any that would have revealed the whistleblower's identity, including a question from Sen. Rand Paul.
Drew Angerer/Getty
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On January 30, Republicans blocked additional witnesses. It was an impeachment first. In both Johnson and Clinton's impeachment trials, witnesses had been called. The vote came down to party lines, other than two Republicans — Sen. Susan Collins and Sen. Mitt Romney — who voted to allow witnesses.
Sarah Silbiger/Getty
Sources: Business Insider, The New York Times
As Schiff closed out his time during the trial, he called for Republicans to stand against Trump, saying that history would not be kind to Trump and those who supported him. "If you find the courage to stand up to him... your place will be among the Davids who took on Goliath."
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Despite Schiff's impassioned plea, Trump was acquitted of both charges on February 5. For the abuse of power charge, 48 senators, including Romney, voted to convict, while 52 Republican senators voted to acquit. Romney was the first senator to ever vote for the removal of a president of the same party.
Patrick Semansky / AP
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For the charge of obstructing Congress, the final vote was by party lines — 47-53. Trump was a free man.
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The next day, Trump held a newspaper high showing he had been acquitted. "As everybody knows, my family, our great country, and your president have been put through a terrible ordeal by some very dishonest and corrupt people," he said. "They have done everything possible to destroy us, and in so doing, have very badly hurt our nation." The reelection campaign had begun.
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Speaking in a free-ranging, campaign-style speech from the East Room of the White House hours later, Trump said his impeachment trial was "evil, it was corrupt, it was dirty cops." He added: "It was leakers, liars, and this should never, ever happen to another president, ever."
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