Democrats reveal TWO articles of impeachment against Donald Trump

Nancy Pelosi and her Democrats announced two charges against Donald Trump on Tuesday, setting up a vote to impeach the president by the end of the year.

‘Today, in service to our duty to the constitution and to our country, the House Committee on the Judiciary is introducing two articles of impeachment charging the president of the united States, Donald J. Trump, with committing high crimes and misdemeanors,’ said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler. 

The two charges are abuse of power and obstruction of justice. 

‘The first article is for abuse of power. It is an impeachable offense for the president to exercise the powers of his public office to obtain an improper personal benefit while ignoring or injuring the national interest. That is exactly what President Trump did when he solicited and pressured Ukraine to interfere in our 2020 presidential election. Thus damaging our national security, undermining the integrity of the next election and violating his oath to the American people,’ Nadler said.

‘These actions, moreover, are consistent with President Trump’s previous invitations of foreign interference in our 2016 presidential election. And when he was caught, when the House investigated and opened an impeachment inquiry, President Trump engaged in unprecedented, categorical and indiscriminate defiance of the impeachment inquiry. This gives rise to the second article of impeachment for obstruction of Congress,’ Nadler said.

‘We must be clear, no one, not even the president, is above the law,’ he added. 

It’s all but a conclusion Trump will become the third president in American history to be impeached with the formal indictment expected to easily pass the Democratic-controlled House.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler as they announce articles of impeachment

Donald Trump is expected to become the third president to be impeached

Donald Trump is expected to become the third president to be impeached

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler formally announced the charges as Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee Maxine Waters, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Carolyn Maloney, House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Adam Schiff look on

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler formally announced the charges as Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee Maxine Waters, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Carolyn Maloney, House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Adam Schiff look on

Pelosi was joined in her announcement by the committee chairmen who have been leading the investigation into the president:  Nadler, Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal, Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters, and Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney. 

Schiff made the legal case for impeachment.

‘We stand here today because the president’s continuing abuse of his power has left us no choice,’ he said.

Speaker Pelosi arrives in the Capitol Tuesday morning ahead of Democrats' announcement

Speaker Pelosi arrives in the Capitol Tuesday morning ahead of Democrats’ announcement

Pelosi, Nadler and Democratic lawmakers head to their announcement

Pelosi, Nadler and Democratic lawmakers head to their announcement

”The argument, “Why don’t you just wait?” amounts to this: “Why don’t you just let him cheat in one more election? Why not let him cheat just one more time? Why not let him have foreign help just one more time,”‘ Schiff said. 

‘The evidence of the president’s misconduct is overwhelming and uncontested. And how could it not be when the president’s own words on July 25th – “I would like you to do us a favor, though” – lays so bare his intentions, his willingness to sacrifice the national security for his own personal interests. And when the president got caught, he committed his second impeachable act – obstruction of Congress of the very ability to make sure that no one is above the law, not even the president of the united States,’ he added.

After the House vote, the battle will then move to the Republican-controlled Senate. 

A vote to convict the president requires a two-thirds vote in the upper chamber, where Republicans hold 53 of 100 seats. It is unlikely that any Republican senators would cross party lines and vote to remove the president from office. 

Technically the Senate is supposed to begin a trial immediately but it’s unlikely the chamber will start the proceedings before January. 

‘That’s the last thing we want to do is be here over Christmas,’ Republican Sen. John Cornyn told Politico. ‘I can’t imagine anyone will object. You never know for sure. It would be widely criticized by folks on both sides of the aisle, anybody who [fought it] and forced us to stay here.’ 

The impeachment charges against the president focus on two areas – the abuse of power and obstruction of justice. 

Democrats laid out their case for each charge in a nine hour hearing Monday in the House Judiciary Committee that summarized their 10-week investigation into Trump.

‘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,’ argued Daniel Goldman, the Democratic lawyer for the House Intelligence Committee, who testified before lawmakers on Monday.

The Judiciary panel is expected to mark up the impeachment articles on Thursday, setting up a vote in the full House next week. 

Staff on the committee huddled throughout the night on Capitol Hill to write the formal articles impeaching the president. 

Trump offered his thoughts Tuesday morning, tweeting about the matter before Democrats held their formal announcement, calling it ‘sheer Political Madness.’

‘To Impeach a President who has proven through results, including producing perhaps the strongest economy in our country’s history, to have one of the most successful presidencies ever, and most importantly, who has done NOTHING wrong, is sheer Political Madness! #2020Election,’ he wrote. 

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff arrives at Speaker Pelosi's office on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff arrives at Speaker Pelosi’s office on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler held a nine-hour impeachment hearing Monday

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler held a nine-hour impeachment hearing Monday

Pelosi huddled on Monday night with the chairmen running the investigation of the president, including Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, who led a nine hour hearing on the probe on Monday, and Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff.

But Tuesday may not be all bad news for Trump.

The speaker also scheduled a press conference on the president’s USMCA trade deal for later Tuesday morning, where she could announce a plan to bring the matter to a vote on the House floor.

Such a move would be a victory for the president. 

Trump has railed against Pelosi for not passing his signature deal with Mexico and Canada. And he’s accused her of being too busy trying to impeach him to work on such legislative matters.

‘We’re close. We’re not quite finished yet. We’re within range,’ Pelosi said Monday night. 

Also on Congress’ to-do list before they adjourn for the year is passing a government-wide funding package and an annual defense policy legislation. 

‘We’re trying to move everything along. We have a lot to do before we leave,’ Pelosi said Monday. ‘And appropriations is the central thing.’ 

Passing the trade deal would give a win to Democrats in swing districts who would be able to return home for holidays to talk about that victory instead of the impeachment of the president. 

The new trade pact would replace the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement. 

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