The process to impeach US President Donald Trump through a vote in the House and the Senate will now officially begin. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Thursday that Trump's actions left her with no choice but to act, asking the House chairmen to proceed with articles of impeachment against the president.
“Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders, and a heart full of love to America, today I am asking our chairmen to proceed with articles of impeachment. I commend our committee chairs and our members to their sombre approach to actions which I wish our president had no made necessary,” Pelosi announced.
The Speaker's move confirms the Democrats intentions to carry out a vote of impeachment against Trump, with the period until now having been about investigating Trump's alleged misdemeanours.
Under the process and based on the Democrats' apparent urgency, an impeachment vote could take place before Christmas as the House is scheduled to recess on December 20, although Pelosi did not lay out a timeline. Incidentally, former president Bill Clinton was also impeached by the House at the same time of year, on Decembre 19, 1998. Clinton was later acquitted, however, following a trial in the Senate in January, 1999.
According to AP, Pelosi met with the Democratic Caucus on Wednesday. In a response that adequately gauges the mood of the Democrats, when Pelosi asked, "Are you ready", the room responded with a resounding "Yes!".
Trump tweeted an hour before Pelosi's announcement saying, "The Do Nothing Democrats had a historically bad day yesterday in the House. They have no Impeachment case and are demeaning our Country. 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. I was elected to “Clean the Swamp,” and that’s what I am doing!"
He later tweeted after Pelosi's speech saying that Democrats were seeking to have him impeached "over nothing" and that this would set a bad precedent for future presidents.
....This will mean that the beyond important and seldom used act of Impeachment will be used routinely to attack future Presidents. That is not what our Founders had in mind. The good thing is that the Republicans have NEVER been more united. We will win!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 5, 2019
While the Democrats control the House of Representatives, which is likely to vote in favour of impeachment with a simple majority, Republicans control the Senate—where a two-thirds supermajority will be require to complete the impeachment.
.@SpeakerPelosi: "The president leaves us no choice but to act…Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders and a heart full of love for America, today I am asking our chairmen to proceed with Articles of Impeachment." pic.twitter.com/pKljgPu0pJ
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 5, 2019
The heart of the impechment matter is the charge that Trump used his office to benefit him personally at the expense of national security, on account of his infamous phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who he asked for a favour. Democrats, former members of Trump's team and senior diplomats have all alleged that Trump requested Zelensky to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden and his son Hunter, in exchange for the delivery of promised military aid and a scheduled meeting at the Oval Office. The charge that there was quid pro quo has been debated over the last few months, ever since a whistleblower leaked details of the now-infamous July phone call.
On Wednesday, four legal scholars, three invited by Democrats and one invited by Republicans, testified before the House Judiciary Committee on the constitutional grounds for and against the impeachment of Trump. All three who were nominated by Democrats said that there were significant grounds for impeachment, with the Republican nominee saying that the House inquiry had not satisfactorily made their case and called for a repeat of the investigation.
Excerpts from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's speech announcing impeachment proceedings against Trump
“In the course of today's events, it becomes necessary for us to address, among other grievances, the president's failure to faithfully execute the law. “
Pelosi cited the founding fathers rationale for including the provision for impeachment of a president in the Constitution.
“When crafting the Constitution, the founders feared the return of a monarchy in America. And having just fought a war of independence, they specifically feared the prospect of a king-president corrupted by foreign influence. “
“In America, no one is above the law. Over the past two weeks, through the intelligence committee working with the foreign affairs and oversight committees, the American people have heard the testimony of truly patriotic career public servants, distinguished diplomats and decorated war heroes—some of the president's own appointees.
“The facts are uncontested: The president abused his power for his own personal political benefit at the expense of our national security by withholding military aid and a crucial Oval Office meeting in exchange for an announcement of an investigation into his political rival.”
“Yesterday, at the Judiciary Committee, the American people heard testimony from leading American constitutional scholars who illuminated without a doubt that the president’s actions are a profound violation of the public trust. The president's actions have seriously violated the Constitution. Especially when he says and acts upon the belief, ‘Article 2 says I can do whatever I want.’ No. His wrongdoing strikes at the very heart of our Constitution—a separation of powers, three co-equal branches, each a check and balance against the other. A republic, if we can keep it, said Benjamin Franklin.”
“Our democracy is what is at stake. The president leaves us no choice but to act because he is trying to corrupt, once again, the election for his own benefit. The president has engaged in abuse of power undermining our national security and jeopardizing the integrity of our elections. His actions are in defiance of the vision of our founders and the oath of office that he takes to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
“Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders, and a heart full of love for America, today I am asking our chairmen to proceed with articles of impeachment. I commend our committee chairs and our members to their sombre approach to actions which I wish our president had no made necessary.”
“In signing the Declaration of Independence, our founders invoked a firm reliance on divine providence. Democrats too are prayerful, and we will proceed in a manner worthy of our oath of office, to support and defend the constitution of the United States, from all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help us God. Thank you.”
