President Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday, firing off dozens of tweets and retweets by 1pm ET as the House simultaneously moved to take up the articles of impeachment against him.
"SUCH ATROCIOUS LIES BY THE RADICAL LEFT, DO NOTHING DEMOCRATS. THIS IS AN ASSAULT ON AMERICA, AND AN ASSAULT ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!!!!"
What he's saying:
- "Can you believe that I will be impeached today by the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats, AND I DID NOTHING WRONG! A terrible Thing. Read the Transcripts. This should never happen to another President again. Say a PRAYER!"
- Nancy Pelosi "will go down in history as worst Speaker. Already thrown out once!"
By the numbers: By 12:54pm ET, Trump had tweeted or retweeted 47 times.
- His retweets amplified friendly pundits like Fox News' Sean Hannity and Dan Bongino, as well as fellow Republican lawmakers like Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
- Many of his tweets also quoted comments from GOP lawmakers appearing on Fox News, like Georgia Rep. Doug Collins' statement on "Fox and Friends": "They [House Democrats] couldn’t find any crimes so they did a vague abuse of power and abuse of Congress, which every administration from the beginning has done."
Worth noting: While most of his tweets were focused on impeachment, Trump also retweeted right-wing news sources about FISA issues at the FBI during the Russia investigation.
What's next: Trump is sure to voice many of the sentiments featured in his tweets during a rally in Battle Creek, Michigan, tonight, where he'll appear alongside Vice President Pence as part of his 2020 campaign's strategy to counterprogram impeachment.
- White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said that Trump "will be working all day. He will be briefed by staff throughout [the] day, and could catch some of the proceedings between meetings," per AP's Zeke Miller.
Go deeper ... "He gave us no choice": Pelosi opens House debate on Trump impeachment