Impeachment proceedings
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took the extraordinary step Tuesday of initiating impeachment proceedings against President Trump, accusing him of violating the Constitution in seeking help from a foreign leader to damage a political opponent.
Pelosi’s move came after Trump acknowledged that he urged the Ukrainian president to investigate former vice president Joe Biden, a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination who holds a wide lead over Trump, polls show, in a potential general election matchup. The revelation prompted a rush of moderate House Democrats to call for an impeachment inquiry into Trump, a step they had resisted for months. On Tuesday, Pelosi (D-Calif.) relented as well.
“The actions of the Trump presidency have revealed the dishonorable fact of the president’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections,” Pelosi said in a brief statement before a backdrop of American flags, repeatedly invoking the nation’s founders. “Therefore, today, I am announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry.”
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The confrontation between the Democratic-led House and Trump is likely to further divide a polarized nation ahead of the 2020 election while carrying implications for both parties. It remains unclear, however, who will capitalize politically over the next 14 months.
Trump immediately lashed out at the Democrats, tweeting, “PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!”
The White House also scrambled to respond, announcing plans to release on Wednesday the transcript of his July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Congressional Republicans rallied to the president’s defense, arguing impeachment would only motivate GOP voters.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said in a statement that Democrats “have been trying to reverse the results of the 2016 election since President Trump took office. For them, this is all about politics. Not about facts.”
Pelosi and many in her caucus had resisted calls for impeachment from the party’s liberal base and several of the 2020 presidential candidates, citing the absence of public support and GOP backing.
But over seven days, the revelations that the president sought the help of Zelensky to investigate Biden infuriated Democrats, particularly lawmakers with national security credentials.
Trump has denied pressuring Zelensky by withholding nearly $400 million in foreign aid. Trump said Tuesday that he withheld the money over his concerns that the United States was contributing more to Ukraine than European countries were.
The launch of an impeachment inquiry follows an intense 24-hour period in which 57 Democrats — including moderates from Trump districts who had long opposed impeachment — endorsed proceedings. In total, 196 Democrats support an impeachment inquiry, according to a Washington Post analysis — and the number is continuing to grow.
