In less than 3 days after introducing Two Articles of Impeachment (link) against President Trump and after 14-hours of heated partisan debate, the Democrat-led House panel finally passed the vote 23-17 on party lines.
The two article President Trump has been charged with are ‘Abuse of Power’ and ‘Obstruction of Congress.’
The next step in the process begins next week when the two articles will go to the floor for debate before the House Rules Committee which is the gateway to the House floor for a vote. If they pass, then President Trump will be impeached.
If impeached, this will make Trump the third U.S. President to be officially impeached after Bill Clinton on December 19, 1998 and Andrew Johnson on February 24, 1868. This impeachment, however, will be the first ever of its supported by one party that is in the majority and an impeachment without an actual crime committed thus setting historic precedence.
Trump responded to the news with a tweet.
With a Democrat majority in the House, the impeachment is already seen as a foregone conclusion and once impeached, the next step will be a trial in the Senate which is controlled by Republicans.
With Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that he will coordinate with The White House Counsel on the trial. After publicly stating that, “There is no chance the President is going to be removed from office,” some moderate Democrats who won in Red states or Trump districts, it is reported that they are already hesitant to vote for impeachment for fear of reprisals come November 2020.
Although there are divided opinions among some Republicans whether or not to have a lengthy or short trial, it still remains to be seen what President Trump and The White House will decide.
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