Trump’s clear and present danger
DEMOCRATS have formally accused US President Donald Trump of two counts of “high crimes and misdemeanours”, setting the stage for an impeachment trial for just the third time in American history.
Mr Trump was charged with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in two articles of impeachment presented on Tuesday, which Democrats claim prove he has “betrayed the nation”.
The news came just hours before Mr Trump took one of his biggest legislative victories, with Democrats also agreeing to a long-sought revised North American trade pact.
Despite the victory, the impeachment saga continues to consume the US, with Mr Trump insisting he has done nothing wrong and describing the articles of impeachment as “very weak”.
Democrats accuse the President of using his position to pressure his Ukraine counterpart to investigate his political rivals, which they described as a “clear and present danger” to national security and next year’s election.
The articles stop short of the also impeachable “bribery”.
Impeachment looks set to continue along strict party lines. A vote in the Democratcontrolled
House to proceed with impeachment is now likely in coming days ahead of a trial in the Republican-controlled Senate in the new year.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described the announcement as a “solemn duty”.
Judiciary Committee chair Jerry Nadler said Mr Trump was being charged because of “efforts to solicit foreign interference in the 2020 election”.
“Throughout this inquiry he has attempted to conceal the evidence from Congress and from the American people,” he said.
Mr Nadler said a president “holds the ultimate public trust”.
“When he betrays that trust and puts himself before country he endangers the constitution, he endangers our democracy and he endangers our national security,” he said. “We must be clear: no one, not even the president, is above the law.”
The White House has so far refused to take part in House proceedings, focusing their attention on a possible Senate trial.
At least 20 Republicans would need to cross the floor to find the President guilty, which is considered unlikely at this stage.