According to former federal prosecutor Robert Ray, neither charge is impeachable.

"My first reaction to that is despite what you just heard from Chairman Nadler, neither one of those is a high crime or misdemeanor," Ray asserted. "So we have not passed through an investigation over the course of the last several months where it's not treason, it's not bribery, it's not extortion, it's not a foreign an illegal foreign campaign violation it's now whatever a majority of the House of Representatives that is controlled by the Democrats say it is, which is abuse of power, abuse of conduct and an inter-branch dispute."

White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham also hammered the Democrats after their announcement was made, saying that their actions are to "overturn the votes" of the American people.

Gaetz argued that the hearing was just Democratic donors asking each other questions. "It was this dystopian reality where I'm watching one Democrat donor ask questions of another Democrat donor about issues that we could all read about but they just want to give their hot takes."

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"It's one of those rare circumstances we've seen now for the last few years, where you have a win-win-win," Heyman said on Yahoo Finance's On the Move. "You have a win for not only the administration, but also Congress. You have a win for American workers, farmers, and the environment. You have a win for Canada and Mexico. And so altogether, I think that this should be a day to celebrate our trading relationship."

He added that while his preference was that the aborted Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would have served as the replacement to NAFTA, the new deal will have a similar effect.

"Lo and behold, the president said the TPP was bad and NAFTA was bad," Heyman said. "But what did we get? 65% to 70% of the exact language in this new USMCA is TPP. They lifted it right out of TPP. The rest is pretty much the structure of NAFTA with the exception of these auto provisions that were put in."

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Answering a question by RT about that on Tuesday evening, Lavrov called Schiff's position "absurd."

"There was no press at our meeting, American or Russian. If Schiff can describe the ministerial-level contacts normal to any country and my meeting with the president in such a way, then I believe that they will soon accuse our diplomats, just as they have our athletes, of doping and call for criminal punishment," Lavrov told reporters.

One US reporter sought to trap Lavrov with a trick question, asking if Trump gave him any classified information again - in reference to the May 2017 meeting when the US president was accused of doing so.

"I can only find that out based on what you report," Lavrov replied, nonplussed. "We talked about what I openly and literally told you. If you find some secrets there, feel free to make that sensational."

Asked by another reporter about the timing of his visit to Washington - just as the House announced impeachment and the Senate debated another proposal to sanction Russia, the foreign minister shrugged it off, saying that US lawmakers seem to discuss these things every day, so today seemed as good as any.

Lavrov spent Tuesday in meetings with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department and Trump at the Oval Office. At a press conference later in the day, he was asked if Russia saw Trump as a reliable partner.

While Trump sincerely understands the benefits of good relations with Russia for both countries, Lavrov said, "Congress, in my opinion, is doing everything to destroy our relations," continuing the policies of the Obama administration.

He was referring specifically to the proposed new sanctions in the Senate, and the attempt to amend the must-pass NDAA military funding bill with measures against two Russian-built natural gas pipelines in Europe.

"Regardless of the sanctions - which obviously hurt everyone - the trade between our two countries has grown during the Trump presidency from $20 billion, to which it was reduced under President Obama, to $27 billion this year," Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, told reporters in Washington, DC on Tuesday, after meeting with US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

"This is an increase of almost one third, and means new jobs in both countries and an increase in the profits of producers. I think that if we give additional incentives to such cooperation, the results will be even more mutually beneficial," Lavrov added.

While the Russian diplomat framed the trade numbers as an argument against the US blockade, Pompeo reiterated his government's commitment to keeping it in place. Asked what the conditions for lifting the sanctions would be, the secretary of state declined to answer, adding only that the Trump administration regarded the sanctions as "appropriate given US policy, US law and risks that are presented."

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