The House Judiciary Committee held a meeting Wednesday night to "mark up" the two articles of impeachment against President Trump on abuse of power and obstruction of justice.
Lawmakers returned this morning to begin considering amendments, with a vote to refer the articles to the full House expected later in the day today.
Wednesday's hearing didn't feature any witnesses. Instead, the committee's 41 members each had five minutes to weigh in on the articles, during which members on both sides took turns arguing for and against the impeachment of Mr. Trump.
Many Democrats used personal anecdotes to state their cases for what they described as the value of following and defending the rule of law. Republicans, on the other hand, continued to express outrage at the process and alleged that the proceedings have been based off hearsay. They also continued to jab at House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, and argued he should testify before the committees.
House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler opened the meeting by underscoring the importance of meeting and the vote that follows. Ranking Member Republican Doug Collins followed Nadler's speech by slamming Democrats for an alleged "crusade" to impeach the president.
At today's hearing, the committee is considering each article of impeachment in turn — abuse of power, then obstruction of Congress. Once all amendments have been offered and considered, they'll vote on each article separately.