Obstruction, abuse of power charges unveiled in Trump impeachment
U.S. House Democrats legislature today unveiled two articles of impeachment against the incumbent President of the United States Donald Trump, 77 days after they launched a formal inquiry into his freezing of assistance to Ukraine and request to investigate a political rival.
The articles charge abuse of power by Trump in the Ukraine affair and obstruction of Congress. The House's Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said Trump "consistently puts himself above the country" and his actions in the Ukraine affair left the House with no choice but to resort to the remedy of impeachment as prescribed in the Constitution for the most egregious wrongdoing by a sitting president.
After it finalizes the articles, the Judiciary Committee is expected to send them to the full House for a vote on whether to impeach the president.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Trump's actions have imperiled the integrity of the 2020 election and Trump's continued tenure in the White House continues to do so. In view of Congress' need to ensure the election can run fairly and the legislature's need to preserve its status as a co-equal branch of government, the House must impeach Trump, Schiff said.
He rejected the idea that Congress should wait for Election Day itself to let voters decide whether to reelect or remove Trump.
"'Why don't you let him cheat in one more election?'" Schiff asked rhetorically. "That is what that argument amounts to."
The Ukraine affair
The move to draft articles of impeachment comes after the House Intelligence Committee heard lengthy testimony — first closed-door, then in public — from current and former officials.
In its 300-page report released last week, the committee argued that Trump abused his office and pressured Ukraine to open investigations against former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter for Trump's own political benefit.
In a House Judiciary Committee hearing Monday, lawyers for House Democrats presented evidence they say shows the president has abused his power, obstructed Congress and should be removed from office.
"President Trump's persistent and continuing effort to coerce a foreign country to help him cheat to win an election is a clear and present danger to our free and fair elections and to our national security," committee lawyer Daniel Goldman said.
Meanwhile, House Republicans have sharply dismissed the inquiry as political and criticized its process.
"At the end of the day, all this is about is a clock and a calendar," said Rep. Doug Collins, the lead Republican on the panel, "and they can't get over the fact that Donald J. Trump is president of the United States, and they don't think they have a candidate who can beat him."
The White House has rejected offers from Democrats to participate in the inquiry, blocked officials from testifying and refused to turn over documents.
White House lawyer Pat Cipollone has called the inquiry "completely baseless" and unfair.
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