The U.S. House of Representatives is holding open hearings in its impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump's actions regarding Ukraine.
The House Intelligence Committee have called two witnesses on Wednesday to describe how President Trump asked the president of Ukraine to launch investigations that Trump thought might help him in the 2020 election.
In exchange for those investigations, witnesses say, Trump was prepared to meet in person with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and sustain financial assistance — appropriated by Congress — that Washington had been providing to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in 2014.
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The White House froze Ukraine's aid for a period of weeks this year and then released it. Although Zelenskiy was close to booking a CNN interview in September, he never made the public commitment that witnesses have said Trump wanted.
Read more: Impeachment Hearing FAQ: Who Will Testify And How The Questioning Will Work
Republicans argue this shows there was no inappropriate exchange and say the impeachment process has been a "sham." Plus the case is based on hearsay, they argue and — for some supporters — Trump's actions were legitimate or, at very least, not impeachable.
No, Democrats argue — they say that Trump has so abused his office that Congress has no choice but to reach for one of its rarest and most serious remedies — impeachment.
Their first hearing is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. ET and will appear live here. Democrats have scheduled another hearing for Friday.
