House Democratic leaders announced on Tuesday that they have drafted two articles of impeachment against President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
“A president who declares himself above accountability, above the American people, and above Congress’ power of impeachment,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said on Tuesday, “is a president who sees himself as above the law. We must be clear: No one, not even the president, is above the law.”
He was joined by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the chairs of the other House committees leading the impeachment inquiry, including House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff.
The charges stem from Trump’s interactions with the Ukrainian president, whom he had asked to investigate a political rival. And as this interaction became the basis for the House’s impeachment inquiry, House Democrats have said that Trump’s refusal to cooperate with the inquiry and attempts to block witnesses from testifying amount to obstruction of Congress.
The announcement comes after nearly a month of public hearings, held both by the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, featuring testimony from foreign service officers with knowledge of Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, constitutional scholars, and Democrat and Republican counsels as part of the impeachment inquiry into Trump.
Earlier on Tuesday before the House Democrats’ announcement, Trump wrote on Twitter, “To Impeach a President who has proven through results, including producing perhaps the strongest economy in our country’s history, to have one of the most successful presidencies ever, and most importantly, who has done NOTHING wrong, is sheer Political Madness!”
The articles, should they be passed by the House Judiciary Committee later this week, will then move on to a vote from the full House of Representatives. If the House indeed votes to impeach Trump, then the case will go to the senate for a trial and a vote.
“We do not take this action lightly, but we have taken an oath to defend the constitution,” Nadler said on Tuesday.