House Democrats unveil articles of impeachment against Trump

House Democratic leaders announced Tuesday that they would move ahead this week with two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump charging him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, accusing him of violating the Constitution when he pressed Ukraine for help in the 2020 election.

Speaking from a wood-panelled reception room just off the floor of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and leaders of several key committees said that Trump’s actions toward Ukraine, and his efforts to block Congress’ attempt to investigate, had left them no choice but to pursue one of the Constitution’s gravest remedies. The move will bring a sitting president to the brink of impeachment for only the fourth time in American history.

“Our president holds the ultimate public trust,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. “When he betrays that trust and puts himself before country, he endangers the Constitution, he endangers our democracy, and he endangers our national security.”

After more than two months of investigating the Ukraine matter, and a year of confrontation between the Democratic House and Trump, the impeachment process is now likely to unfold quickly. The Judiciary Committee plans to promptly begin debating the articles as soon as Wednesday, and could vote by Thursday to recommend them to the full House of Representatives for final approval. If the House follows through as expected next week, Trump could stand trial in the Senate early in the new year.

The Judiciary Committee planned to publicly release text of the articles later Tuesday. While individual lawmakers will be able to propose amendments to the articles during this week’s debate and potentially force a committee vote on additional charges, they are not expected to substantively change.

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