Trump a ‘threat’ to US security, Democrats claim
Divisions in the House of Representatives remain stark before historic vote on the president’s future
DONALD TRUMP was accused of being an “ongoing threat” to America’s security yesterday as Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House speaker, laid out the justification for making him the third US president in history to be impeached.
Addressing the House of Representatives dressed in black, Ms Pelosi said she had called the historic vote because Mr Trump betrayed his oath of office by seeking politically helpful investigations from Ukraine. “If we do not act now, we would be derelict in our duty,” Ms Pelosi said during a momentous debate about Mr Trump’s removal.
“It is tragic that the president’s reckless actions make impeachment necessary. He gave us no choice.”
Mr Trump, following proceedings from the White House, countered with a string of emotive tweets protesting his innocence.
“Such atrocious lies by the radical Left, do nothing Democrats,” one read. “This is an assault on America, and an assault on the Republican Party !!!! ” In another tweet, Mr Trump said Ms Pelosi would “go down in history as [the] worst speaker”.
The clash was echoed on the floor of the House, where during hours of debate congressmen from opposing political parties clashed over the president’s behaviour.
Only two other presidents have been impeached by the House – Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998. Neither faced another presidential election.
The impeachment drive against Mr Trump was triggered by his attempt to get Ukraine to launch an investigation into Joe Biden, the former vice-president and the man he could face in the November 2020 election.
The president was charged with two articles: abuse of power, for holding back almost $400million in military aid from Ukraine as he sought the investigation, and obstruction of Congress, for ordering US officials not to engage with a congressional investigation.
Ms Pelosi said it was a “fact” that Mr Trump both “violated the Constitution” and was an “ongoing threat to our national security” by using US foreign policy for his own political benefit.
Mr Trump has always rejected the claims. Yesterday he said of the Ukraine scandal: “In the end here, nothing happened.”
Impeachment does not trigger his removal. That will be decided by the Senate, which is due to hold a trial in January. Given the Republicans hold the majority there, Mr Trump is not expected to be removed.
DONALD TRUMP was set to become only the third president to be impeached in America’s history last night, putting a momentous black mark against his legacy in the White House.
In a heated and historic debate in the House of Representatives, Democrats and Republicans clashed over whether the US president’s behaviour in the Ukraine scandal warranted removal from office.
Mr Trump’s opponents said his attempt to get Kyiv to investigate his political rival Joe Biden effectively betrayed his oath of office, undermining US national security for his personal benefit.
They argued his “reckless” behaviour amounted to an abuse of presidential power and warned that Mr Trump was acting like a “king” or tyrant in believing he should continue in the Oval Office.
The Republicans, however, rallied around Mr Trump, turning their fire on the Democrats who they accused of trying to overturn the 2016 presidential election.
They described the impeachment process as a “joke”, “circus” and “total sham”, with the Democrats accused of being “gleeful” at the chance to take out a president they “hate”.
“This is the most unfair, politically biased, rigged process that I have seen in my entire life,” said Debbie Lesko, a Republican member of Congress.
The stark rhetoric underlined how divided the two parties are over impeachment, a mechanism included in the US Constitution to remove a president for “treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors”.
It also reflected the significance of what was being debated. Only two other US presidents have been impeached – Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998.
Mr Trump was charged with two articles of impeachment. One alleged abuse of power for holding back almost $400million (£305million) in military aid while urging Ukraine to launch an investigation into Mr Biden, the Democrat he could face at the 2020 election.
The other accused Mr Trump of obstructing Congress by ordering his administration’s employees to ignore legally binding subpoenas to give testimony and turn over documents to the impeachment inquiry, thereby undermining the investigation.
Mr Trump has dismissed criticism of his conduct since the inquiry was launched in September, insisting his behaviour has been “perfect”. On Twitter yesterday he remained defiant, accusing his rivals of “atrocious lies”.
During the debate on the House
‘Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered. Today, we have a president who seems to believe he is a king or above the law’
floor which lasted much of yesterday, members of Congress often invoked the country’s “founding fathers”, who created the US political system with inspiration from ancient Rome, and even invoked the heavens in their debate.
“Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered,” said James Clyburn, one of the most senior Democrats in the House.
“These words were written at a time when our founders were rebelling against the tyrannical rule of the British monarchy. Today, we have a president who seems to believe he is a king or above the law.”
Joe Kennedy, the grand nephew of US president John F Kennedy, dismissed suggestions that the Democrats were enjoying impeachment. “I want you to know that it does not feel good,” he said. “I can’t stop thinking about the cost to our country. Not just the impeachable offences, but the collateral damage of a president who uses power like a weapon against his own people.”
Democrats repeatedly accused Mr Trump of urging foreign interference in the vote on his re-election in 2020 by encouraging Ukraine to launch probes that would help him politically.
But Republicans defended Mr Trump’s actions. One Republican, congressman Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, likened Mr Trump’s impeachment to the persecution of Jesus, saying even the son of God got a fairer hearing before his crucifixion than the president.
Mr Trump left the White House on Wednesday afternoon without taking questions for waiting reporters – a break from the norm – as he headed to Michigan for a rally with supporters.
Impeachment in the House does not automatically result in removal from office. That decision is taken by the US Senate, which is set to hold a trial on Mr Trump’s fate next month. At least 67 of the 100 senators would need to vote for removal for it to happen, which is unlikely given that the Republicans hold a Senate majority.