WASHINGTON (AP) House Democrats announced two articles of impeachment today against President Donald Trump abuse of power and obstruction of Congress pushing toward historic votes over charges he corrupted the U.S. election process and endangered national security in his dealings with Ukraine.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, flanked by the chairmen of the impeachment inquiry committees, stood at the Capitol for what she called a solemn act. Voting is expected in a matter of days in the Judiciary Committee and by Christmas in the full House. Trump insisted he did nothing wrong and his reelection campaign called it rank partisnaship.
He endangers our democracy; he endangers our national security, said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the Judiciary chairman announcing the charges before a portrait of George Washington. Our next election is at risk. … That is why we must act now.
Trump tweeted ahead of the announcement that impeaching a president with a record like his would be sheer Political Madness!
The outcome, though, appears increasingly set as the House prepares for voting, as it has only three times in history against a U.S. president. Approval of the charges would send them to the Senate in January, where the Republican majority would be unlikely to convict Trump.
Democratic leaders say Trump put his political interests above those of the nation when he asked Ukraine to investigate his rivals, including Democrat Joe Biden, and then withheld $400 million in military aid as the U.S. ally faced an aggressive Russia. They say he then tried obstructed Congress by stonewalling the House investigation.
In drafting the articles of impeachment, Pelosi faced a legal and political challenge of balancing the views of her majority while hitting the Constitutions bar of treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
Some liberal lawmakers wanted more expansive charges encompassing the findings from former special counsel Robert Muellers probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Centrist Democrats preferred to keep the impeachment articles more focused on Trumps actions toward Ukraine. House Democrats have announced two articles of impeachment charging President Donald Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
When asked during a Monday evening event if she had enough votes to impeach the Republican president, Pelosi said she would let House lawmakers vote their conscience.
On an issue like this, we dont count the votes. People will just make their voices known on it, Pelosi said at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council. I havent counted votes, nor will I.
Trump, who has declined to mount a defense in the actual House hearings, tweeted today just as the six Democratic House committee chairmen prepared to make their announcement.
To Impeach a President who has proven through results, including producing perhaps the strongest economy in our countrys history, to have one of the most successful presidencies ever, and most importantly, who has done NOTHING wrong, is sheer Political Madness! #2020Election, he wrote on Twitter.
The president also spent part of Monday tweeting against the impeachment proceedings. He and his allies have called the process absurd.
The next steps emerged in the swiftly moving proceedings as Pelosi convened a meeting of the impeachment committee chairmen at her office in the Capitol late Monday following an acrimonious, nearly 10-hour hearing at the Judiciary Committee, which could vote as soon as this week.
I think theres a lot of agreement, Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the Democratic chairman of the Foreign Affairs committee, told reporters as he exited Pelosis office. A lot of us believe that what happened with Ukraine especially is not something we can just close our eyes to.
