Inside impeachment: How an ‘urgent’ tip became ‘high crimes’

MARY CLARE JALONICK and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The night before the whistleblower complaint that launched President Donald Trump's impeachment was made public, Democrats and Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee crammed into the same room to get a first look at the document. For Democrats, it was an instant bombshell, a "jaw-hit-the-floor sort of moment," one lawmaker said. Another described sneaking peeks at Republican colleagues to see whether they were having a similar reaction. But the Democrats in the room didn't get the reaction they were hoping for from Republicans. And through nearly three months of closed-door depositions, powerful public hearings, and procedural posturing, they never would. The House's drive toward impeachment ended last