Trump announces new impeachment legal team

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday night that he will allow the Senate power-sharing agreement brokered with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to go forward, solidifying how the evenly tied Senate will function for the next two years.

Specific details of the agreement are not yet clear, but McConnell cites statements from two Democratic members -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz -- who have said they will not vote to overturn the Senate filibuster rule as the reason he is allowing the agreement to move forward.

Progress on reaching a power-sharing agreement stalled when McConnell announced he wanted assurances from Schumer that he would not overturn the filibuster rule. If Schumer had wanted to do this it would have required the unanimous support of his caucus.

"The legislative filibuster was a key part of the foundation beneath the Senate's last 50-50 power-sharing agreement in 2001. With these assurances, I look forward to moving ahead with a power-sharing agreement modeled on that precedent," McConnell wrote in a statement.

Justin Goodman, a Schumer spokesperson, released a statement in response to the move.

"We're glad Senator McConnell threw in the towel and gave up on his ridiculous demand. We look forward to organizing the Senate under Democratic control and start getting big, bold things done for the American people," Goodman said in the statement.

--ABC News' Allison Pecorin

Former President Donald Trump Monday opened an "Office of the Former President," according to a statement from the office.

"The Office will be responsible for managing President Trump's correspondence, public statements, appearances, and official activities to advance the interests of the United States and to carry on the agenda of the Trump Administration through advocacy, organizing, and public activism," the statement read.

The announcement comes the same day that House Democrats delivered an article of impeachment to the Senate, setting in motion the second impeachment trial against Trump in the chamber.

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson

Biden continued with his calls to world leaders Monday, this time speaking with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and agreeing to revitalize the two countries alliance.

They agreed that cooperation was important to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. They also said the U.S. and Germany would work together on foreign policy issues regarding Afghanistan, Iran, China, Russia, Ukraine and the Western Balkans.

Biden started making calls to foreign leaders on Friday, first reaching out to the leaders of Canada, Mexico and the U.K. on Friday and the French president on Sunday. COVID-19 was also a main point of conversation on those calls.

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

The lead House impeachment manager, Rep. Jaime Raskin, D-Md., read aloud an article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump to the Senate.

"President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power and imperiled a coordinate branch of government. He thereby betrayed his trust as president, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States," Raskin said, reading from the article that the House passed on Jan. 13.

"Wherefore President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law. President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States," he concluded.

Speaking after Raskin, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the president pro tempore, announced that the Senate was now "ready to proceed with the (impeachment) trial."

The official trial in Senate is not expected to begin until the week of Feb. 8.