US House to draft impeachment charges against President Trump: Pelosi
- President Trump's actions have seriously violated the constitution, Pelosi told reporters
- Democrats have accused Trump of abusing his power by withholding $391 million in security aid to Kyiv to pressure Ukraine President to announce the probe
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said she has instructed the House Judiciary Committee to draft articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump over his effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate a political rival.
"The facts are uncontested. The president abused his power for his own personal political benefit at the expense of our national security by withholding military aid and (a) crucial Oval Office meeting in exchange for an announcement of an investigation into his political rival," Pelosi said in a televised statement.
"Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our Founders and our hearts full of love for America, today I am asking our chairman to proceed with articles of impeachment," she added, referring to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler
Pelosi made the remarks a day after the Judiciary Committee held a hearing in which three constitutional law experts called by Democratic lawmakers said Trump had engaged in conduct that represents impeachable offenses under the Constitution. A fourth expert called by Republican lawmakers called the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry rushed and flawed.
Earlier, on Thursday Trump urged Democrats in the House of Representatives to move swiftly if they are going to impeach him, shortly before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi planned to make a statement on the status of their impeachment inquiry.
The Democratic-led panel on Wednesday heard from four legal experts as US lawmakers considered whether Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate a political rival rose to the level of impeachable offenses.
The House Intelligence panel this week submitted findings from its inquiry into Trump's push for Kiev to launch an investigation related to former US Vice President Joe Biden, a top contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Trump also wanted Ukraine to look into the discredited theory that Ukraine, not Russia, meddled in the 2016 US election.
Democrats have accused Trump of abusing his power by withholding $391 million in security aid to Ukraine - a US ally facing Russian aggression - to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to announce the investigation.
Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing, urged House Democrats on Thursday to move fast if they are going to impeach him so that the Republican-led Senate can take up the issue.
"If you are going to impeach me, do it now, fast, so we can have a fair trial in the Senate, and so that our Country can get back to business," Trump tweeted.
The House may vote by year's end on formal impeachment charges known as articles of impeachment, but Democrats, who control the chamber, say no decision has been made at this point on the specific charges.
Those could include abuse of power, bribery, obstruction of Congress and obstruction of justice.
Judiciary panel Democrats on Wednesday said they may look beyond Trump's relations with Ukraine to include Trump's earlier alleged efforts to impede former U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into his 2016 campaign's relations with Russia, but they stopped short of saying that could trigger a separate charge.
'Sense of urgency'
A number of House Democrats have also urged fast action, citing concerns over interference in the November 2020 presidential election in which Trump is seeking a second term.
"I feel a sense of urgency. We need to act now," US Representative Karen Bass, a Democrat on the Judiciary panel, told CNN on Thursday.
If the House votes to impeach Trump, the Senate would hold a trial to decide whether to remove the president from office.
Trump's fellow Republicans in both chambers have stood by him, and have accused Democrats of seeking to overturn the 2016 election and rushing the process.
Republicans in the Senate have given no signs they would break with the president now. On Wednesday, Republican senators met with White House lawyer Pat Cipollone to plot their strategy, Politico reported.
Trump and the White House refused to participate in the House proceedings, but Kellyanne Conway told reporters at the White House on Thursday that they would be more likely to participate in the Senate trial.
"If it does come to us, I think it will be along party lines," Republican Senator Rand Paul told Fox News in an interview on Thursday, adding that the "frivolous and partisan" effort could harm vulnerable Democrats in next year's elections.
Polling has shown Americans are also largely divided along party lines over impeachment.
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First Published:5 Dec 2019, 07:36 PM IST
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