House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Thursday that the House Judiciary Committee will begin drafting articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.
“The president’s actions have seriously violated the Constitution,” Pelosi said in a press conference on Capitol Hill. “Our Democracy is at stake. The president leaves us no choice but to act.”
BREAKING: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "Today, I am asking our chairman to proceed with articles of impeachment." https://t.co/yMg0trFZ0O pic.twitter.com/038nBeYEdv
— ABC News (@ABC) December 5, 2019
The speaker asserted President Trump’s July 25 telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — in which the president suggested the European country should look into allegations of corruption against former Vice President Joe Biden — was an abuse of power that undermined U.S. national security. A partisan CIA analyst’s mischaracterization of the call, laid out in a “whistleblower” complaint to the intelligence community inspect general, later sparked the effort to remove the president.
“If we allow a president to be above the law, we do so surely at the peril of our republic. In America, no one is above the law,” the California Democrat said.
“Today, I am asking our chairman to proceed with articles of impeachment,” she then announced, referring to House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY).
The development, which was largely expected, followed Wednesday’s House judiciary panel hearing, which heard testimony from four constitutional scholars on whether to impeach the president over his call with Zelensky.
The White House responded swiftly to Pelosi’s announcement, saying House Democrats’ claims against President Trump remain baseless and that they “should be ashamed” of themselves.
“@realDonaldTrump has done nothing but lead our country – resulting in a booming economy, more jobs & a stronger military, to name just a few of his major accomplishments,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham tweeted. “We look forward to a fair trial in the Senate.”
.@SpeakerPelosi & the Democrats should be ashamed. @realDonaldTrump has done nothing but lead our country – resulting in a booming economy, more jobs & a stronger military, to name just a few of his major accomplishments. 🇺🇸 We look forward to a fair trial in the Senate.
— Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) December 5, 2019
Earlier Thursday, the president slammed House Democrats and their impeachment probe, urging them to vote quickly to remove him in order for the Senate to begin a “fair trial.”
“The Do Nothing Democrats had a historically bad day yesterday in the House. They have no Impeachment case and are demeaning our Country,” he tweeted. “But nothing matters to them, they have gone crazy. Therefore I say, if you are going to impeach me, do it now, fast, so we can have a fair trial in the Senate, and so that our Country can get back to business. We will have Schiff, the Bidens, Pelosi and many more testify, and will reveal, for the first time, how corrupt our system really is.”
…..trial in the Senate, and so that our Country can get back to business. We will have Schiff, the Bidens, Pelosi and many more testify, and will reveal, for the first time, how corrupt our system really is. I was elected to “Clean the Swamp,” and that’s what I am doing!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 5, 2019
Story cited here.
