Impeachment inquiry vote lays out path
Senate trial all but inevitable
WASHINGTON: Whether he says so or not, Donald Trump’s presidency stands on its most treacherous ground after the House yesterday voted to approve and proceed with its impeachment inquiry.
The resolution, passed on a largely partyline 232196 vote, does not just lay out a road map for the public phase of the inquiry. It also sends a clear signal that a vote to impeach Trump, and a trial in the Senate, is all but inevitable.
Trump becomes just the fourth president to be subject to a formal impeachment effort. Two of them, Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson, were impeached in the House but were not convicted in the Senate. Richard Nixon, facing certain conviction, resigned before the House could vote to approve articles of impeachment.
Trump, however, may well become the first president to be impeached and then seek reelection. That dynamic presents a novel challenge for the president, as he must work to keep the Republican Party unified not just to prevent his removal from office by the Senate but also at the hands of voters.
Recent moves suggest that Trump understands the peril. After resisting entreaties to add staff to the White House, he is likely to bring on a prominent public relations professional to help with communications on the inquiry, according to people familiar with the matter. His campaign, meanwhile, paid for a glitzy national television ad during game 7 of the World Series on Thursday that highlighted Trump’s accomplishments while criticising his opponents for ‘‘phony investigations’’.
The president has become deeply engaged in keeping his party in line. Over the past two weeks, Trump has met facetoface more than 60 House members, one administration official said.
No House Republicans voted in favour of the impeachment resolution. Former Republican and fierce Trump critic who left his party this year, Justin Amash of Michigan, voted for it. — TCA