Washington: Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday that the House is moving forward to draft articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.
“Our democracy is what is at stake,” Pelosi said. “The president leaves us no choice but to act,” Pelosi delivered the historic announcement as Democrats push toward a vote, possibly by Christmas.
Pelosi said she was authorising the drafting of articles of impeachment ‘sadly but with confidence and humility’. “The president’s actions have seriously violated the Constitution,” Pelosi said.
At the heart of the impeachment probe is a July call with the president of Ukraine, in which Trump pressed the leader to investigate Democrats and political rival Joe Biden as Trump was withholding aid to the country.
“Our democracy is what is at stake,” Pelosi said in her solemn announcement. “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,” added the House Speaker
Earlier in the day, Pelosi announced that she would deliver an unusual public statement on the status of the House impeachment inquiry into President Trump.
Democrats are charging toward a Christmas time vote on removing the 45th president, a situation Pelosi hoped to avoid but which now seems inevitable.
Pelosi met behind closed doors Wednesday with her Democratic caucus, asking, “Are you ready?” The answer was a resounding ‘yes’, according to those in the room.
Trump tweeted that if Democrats ‘are going to impeach me, do it now, fast’. He said he wants to get on to a ‘fair trial’ in the Senate. The president also said Democrats have ‘gone crazy’.
AP