A Sketch Artist’s View of Trump’s Impeachment Trial
Because no photos or videos are allowed to be taken in the Senate chamber, the public’s only view of the Senate floor is a feed provided to C-SPAN from cameras that are operated by government employees.
That is, unless someone seated in the gallery can draw.
Art Lien is a courtroom sketch artist who has primarily covered the Supreme Court — another body that does not allow cameras — since 1976. But for the extent of the impeachment trial of President Trump, Mr. Lien will be walking across the street to the Capitol to capture moments that we might not see on television.
Wednesday, Feb. 5
Hours before the final votes in the Senate, Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, announced in an emotional floor speech that he had decided to cross party lines and vote to convict Mr. Trump on the abuse of power charge, saying that the president was “guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust.”
Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader who had promised a swift trial and acquittal of the president, gave the final speech in the chamber before the voting commenced.
“The United States Senate was made for moments like this,” Mr. McConnell said, adding that the framers of the Constitution created the Senate to safeguard against “factional fever” that might dominate in the House. “This partisan impeachment will end today,” he declared.
Just after 4 p.m., Mr. Trump was acquitted by the Senate of both articles of impeachment, 52 to 48 on the abuse of power charge and 53 to 47 on obstruction of justice, bringing his trial to a close.
Tuesday, Feb. 4
After closing arguments by House managers and the president’s lawyers on Monday, senators took turns on the Senate floor to announce their positions before Wednesday’s final votes on the articles of impeachment.
Because the speeches were not part of the formal impeachment trial, senators were not required to be in attendance, leaving the chamber mostly empty.
On the other side of the Capitol, House members staked out seats for Mr. Trump’s State of the Union address that evening. Some lawmakers were seen reserving their positions along the aisle more than seven hours before the speech.
In his speech promoting a “Great American Comeback,” Mr. Trump did not address his impeachment or the upcoming vote in the Senate. Some of the Democratic House impeachment managers sat near the front of the chamber, with copies of the U.S. Constitution in hand.
Friday, Jan. 31
The Senate voted to block the admission of new witnesses and agreed to a schedule that would end the trial on Wednesday. Democrats needed four Republicans to join them in supporting the motion on additional evidence, but only two senators, Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine, broke with their party to vote for it.
Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, was considered another potential defector, but she ultimately decided to vote “no.”
Before the vote on witnesses, the Senate conducted a break called a “quorum call” in order for party leaders to negotiate next steps. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona who could break with her party by voting to acquit the president, could be seen chatting with her Republican colleagues.
Outside the Capitol, a group of demonstrators weighed in.
Thursday, Jan. 30
Senators convened for the second day of posing questions to House impeachment managers and Mr. Trump’s lawyers.
Early in the session, a question submitted by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was rejected by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. because it mentioned the person widely believed to be the whistle-blower who sparked the impeachment inquiry.
Republicans expressed optimism that they would be able to block the passage of a Democratic-supported proposal to call new witnesses. At least four Republican senators and every Democrat would need to vote “yes” for it to pass.
Senator Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania appeared open to the idea of new witnesses earlier in the week, but on Wednesday he said that he was “very, very skeptical” that any witness would change his decision.
Cory Gardner of Colorado, who is facing a tough re-election and had not committed to a position, said on Wednesday that he would not vote for witnesses and documents.
If the Senate rejects new witnesses in the trial, and Democrats are unable to delay the proceedings, votes on whether to convict or acquit Mr. Trump could take place this week.
One Democratic senator, Doug Jones of Alabama, has indicated that he might vote to acquit the president of the obstruction of justice charge. Other centrist Democrats, like Senators Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, could also defect.
Wednesday, Jan. 29
The next phase of the trial began, with senators submitting questions for the House managers and the president’s defense, who had five minutes to respond at the lectern.
The question cards were ferried by Senate pages to the parliamentarian, who gave them to Chief Justice Roberts to be read aloud.
Senators mostly asked questions of the side they aligned with — Republicans for the defense, and Democrats for House managers.
“You want to control the dynamic,” explained Senator Mike Braun, Republican of Indiana.
Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, was one of several Democrats to pose questions to the managers. “They needed the chance to rebut the false arguments, the fallacious reasoning, the half-truths and even no truths that the three days of the president’s counsel made,” he said.
Four Democratic senators running for president — Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Michael Bennet — have been dashing between the campaign trail and the trial in Washington.
The frantic schedule appeared to be catching up with Mr. Sanders, who is leading recent polls in Iowa.
Tuesday, Jan. 28
As Mr. Trump’s defense team concluded their opening arguments, new revelations from an unpublished manuscript by John R. Bolton, the former national security adviser, fueled a push by Democrats to call witnesses in the trial.
Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, has said that he will decide whether to support calling witnesses after the upcoming question and answer phase of the trial. But he has previously expressed openness to the idea, and the White House has regarded him as a wild card.
Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, has garnered attention as the only one in his party who has publicly committed to voting ‘yes’ on calling witnesses.
Mr. Romney caught the spotlight for another reason on Tuesday, when he was seen momentarily breaking Senate rules by entering the chamber with a bottle of chocolate milk. He promptly exited and returned with the milk in a glass.
After six days of arguments in which they were confined to their seats in silence, members took the opportunity to mingle on the Senate floor.
Monday, Jan. 27
The trial continued Monday with presentations by Mr. Trump’s defense team, which includes Ken Starr, the former independent counsel whose investigation led to President Bill Clinton’s impeachment.
Mr. Lien sketched from his perch in the press gallery overlooking the Senate floor, jotting down notes about color, because he must exit the chamber to use his watercolor kit.
He uses a very thin (.03mm) mechanical pencil with soft 2B lead. “People move around and things change, so it’s nice to be able to erase,” he said.
During a presentation by Michael Purpura, one of the president’s lawyers, Mr. Lien noticed several senators missing from their desks. Luckily, staff members in the Senate press gallery provide a diagram for reference.
“I do keep the seating chart handy and consult it frequently,” said Mr. Lien.
Saturday, Jan. 25
Mr. Trump’s defense team kicked off their arguments on Saturday morning, attempting to sow doubt on the Democrats’ case by accusing them of cherry-picking evidence and trying “to remove President Trump from the ballot.”
Jay Sekulow, one of the president’s personal lawyers, accused the House managers of engaging in a partisan attack on the president by having “tried once again to re-litigate the Mueller case.”
In the abbreviated two-hour session, the defense emphasized that they would not subject senators to the same long presentations as the House managers. Each side has been allotted 24 hours over as many as three days.
In the press gallery, more than one sketch artist was at work.
Friday, Jan. 24
Senators settled in for the third day of arguments from the House managers, who made their case that Mr. Trump sought to cover up his pressure campaign on Ukraine.
Senator Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio, was spotted with a cell phone — contraband during the trial — but put it away when proceedings began.
Other senators have tested the rules of the trial over the course of the week, with many stepping out of the chamber to use the bathroom, make calls or even appear on television.
Lawmakers did appear to stick to the approved beverages, water and milk. Senate pages, high school students appointed by members as helpers, refreshed their glasses.
Reporters looked down from the press gallery, located directly above the wood-and-marble rostrum where Chief Justice Roberts is presiding.
Although Connie Shultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, she was seated in the adjacent gallery, a special viewing section for guests of lawmakers. Ms. Schultz is married to Senator Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio.
Thursday, Jan. 23
In their second day of arguments, the House managers presented their case for the first article of impeachment against Mr. Trump — abuse of power. But their presentations on the history of constitutional law, the Bidens’ work in Ukraine and Mr. Trump’s motives did not appear to capture the entire audience’s attention.
At one point in the day, there were 19 empty seats on the floor, as Republican and Democratic senators disregarded the rules of decorum and took short breaks from the chamber.
Some members took up a second activity, like fidget spinning or doodling.
Two moderate Republicans who have signaled they may be open to calling witnesses, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, appeared more engaged. In 1999, Ms. Collins voted against her party to acquit President Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial.
Wednesday, Jan. 22
House impeachment managers, led by Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, have 24 hours over three days to present opening arguments in their case for convicting and removing Mr. Trump from office. They spent the first day narrating the events surrounding the allegations.
The public viewing galleries were only partially filled.
Around 6:20 p.m., a protester burst into the chamber and interrupted the presentation of Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York. He was escorted away by Capitol Police officers.
Reporters worked (or took a break) in the press room just outside the chamber.
Tuesday, Jan. 21
The trial began in earnest Tuesday, with a debate between House impeachment managers and the president’s defense team over the rules that will govern the proceedings. Per decorum guidelines issued by Senate leadership ahead of the trial, members were confined to their desks in silence, without the use of their phones.
Throughout the day, the C-SPAN cameras were primarily trained on those speaking at the podium, which allowed some members to rest their eyes out of view.
Members of the press, who observed the debate from the galleries, were also operating under stricter rules for the trial. Reporters were issued tickets corresponding to assigned seats and required to line up for a magnetometer meant to prevent electronics from being smuggled into the chamber.
Thursday, Jan. 16
In a ceremonial display at noon, newly appointed House impeachment managers made their way to the Senate chamber to formally present the charges against Mr. Trump to the Senate. Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California, read the charges on the floor.
Procedural tasks continued later in the afternoon, when Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, swore in Chief Justice Roberts to preside over the trial.
Chief Justice Roberts in turn swore in the members of the Senate, who were then called to the front of the chamber to sign an oath book.
We will be updating this page as the trial continues.