WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. House gaveled in for a historic session today to impeach President Donald Trump on charges that he abused his power and obstructed Congress, votes that will leave a lasting mark on his tenure at the White House.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi requested that Democrats, who have the votes to make Trump just the third U.S. president to be impeached, gather on the floor of the chamber to exercise one of the most solemn powers granted to us by the Constitution.
During this very prayerful moment in our nations history, we must honor our oath to support and defend our Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic, Pelosi told colleagues in a letter on the eve of the vote.
As soon as the session opened, Republicans tried to halt it.
So we can stop wasting Americas time on impeachment, I move that the House now adjourn, said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
He forced a roll call vote the first of several procedural efforts expected during the day to try to delay the proceedings. It was defeated on a party-line vote. Republicans then tried to force a vote condemning the actions of Democratic committee leaders, based on objections to the way the Democrats conducted hearings leading to todays votes.
Early today Trump tweeted: Can you believe that I will be impeached today by the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats, AND I DID NOTHING WRONG! A terrible thing.
The president, who is to depart later for a rally in Michigan, fired off a furious letter to Pelosi on Tuesday denouncing the vicious crusade against him but acknowledging he was powerless to stop the expected outcome.
When people look back at this affair, I want them to understand it, and learn from it, so that it can never happen to another president again, he wrote.
The rare undertaking to impeach a president, set to unfold over more than six hours of debate today, has split the lawmakers in Congress much the way Americans have different views of Trumps unusual presidency and the articles of impeachment against him.
According to a tally compiled by The Associated Press, Trump was on track to be formally charged by a House majority. No Republicans were expected to vote for impeachment as the presidents party stands firmly with Trump, and the Senate, where the GOP has the majority, is expected to acquit him in a trial next year.
Help them, and help us all, said the House chaplain, the Rev. Pat Conroy, as he opened the proceedings with morning prayer.
Pelosi, who warned earlier this year against pursuing a strictly partisan impeachment, nonetheless has the numbers from Democrats to approve it.
Very sadly, the facts have made clear that the President abused his power for his own personal, political benefit and that he obstructed Congress, Pelosi wrote to colleagues. In America, no one is above the law.
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Ca.,, suggested that Republicans çould try to undo the vote someday. Maybe a future Congress would even expunge this vote, he told Fox News, deriding the months-long impeachment proceedings as the quickest in history.
