WATCH: Rep. Lofgren says Trump pressured Ukraine to do his ‘political dirty work’

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said the U.S. hold on military aid to Ukraine was a “unilateral, official act” by President Donald Trump. He did so with no explanation and “against the clear consensus of his advisers and his agencies and against our nation’s security interests,” Lofgren said. “And he was so determined to do it in order to pressure Ukraine to do his political dirty work that he was willing to violate the law, something his own officials were well aware of and worried about.” The White House will give its defense after the House managers have been allowed 24 hours over the course of three days to present their case. The House of Representatives impeached the president in December on two articles -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The trial will determine whether Trump is convicted of those charges and removed from office, or acquitted. For more on who’s who in the Trump impeachment inquiry, read: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/whos-who-in-the-trump-impeachment-inquiry Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour Snapchat: @pbsnews Subscribe: PBS NewsHour podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe