US President Trump impeached by Democrats ahead of 2020 polls
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GAROWE ONLINE
- Posted On 19-12-2019, 07:48AM
WASHINGTON- GOP will now go to the drawing board after Democrats-controlled House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to impeach fiery President Donald Trump.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is technically the leader of Democrats in the House, fired shots even before voting, saying "we have no choice, Mr President".
In a large party line contest, the obstruction of Congress and abuse of office charges easily sailed through as Democrats took control.
The Democrats will now need approval from Republican-controlled Senate to see Trump through, something which could be much unlikely.
A furious Pelosi said: "The president is an ongoing threat to our national security, and the integrity of our elections, the basis of our democracy."
Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing, took the stage at a Michigan rally as the House began voting on impeachment.
"Tonight the House Democrats are trying to nullify the ballots of tens of millions of patriotic Americans," Trump told the crowd.
Trump urged Ukrainian president Volodymur Zelenskyy in the call to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter, who was had served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.
Joe Biden is a leading contender in the race for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020. There has been no evidence of any wrongdoing by the Bidens.
But before formal enquiry started, the US president accused Democrats of "trying to instigate a coup against me using fiction".
After the impeachment, Speaker Pelosi tweeted: "No one is above the law, Mr President. #DefendOurDemocracy."
Pelosi, the first woman to be in charge of the exercise, will now forward the charges to the Senate, which is likely to acquit Mr Trump.
Even before that, Trump has an option of resigning should he choose not to wait for Senate's verdict, in case he's interested with his legacy.
But Trump was quick to turn tables against the Democrats saying "In reality, they are not after me, they are after you. I am just in the way."
Trump now joins Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton as the presidents who have been impeached by the House of Representatives.
Johnson was impeached in 1868 while Clinton faced the wrath of the House in 1998. However, they were both vindicated by the Senate.
Already, a Republican-controlled Senate has faulted Trump's impeachment with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell set to issue a statement on Thursday.
"At 9:30 am tomorrow morning, on the Senate floor, I will speak about House Democrats’ precedent-breaking impeachment of the President of the United States," he tweeted.
America is set for elections in 2020 November when Trump is expected to defend his seat. Democrats will start primaries in Feb 2020.
GAROWE ONLINE
