Congress formally opened a new, public phase of its corruption
investigation into Donald Trump on Thursday as US lawmakers voted for
the first time to advance the impeachment process targeting the US
president.
"Today the House takes the next step forward
as we establish the procedures for open hearings...so that the public
can see the facts for themselves," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
"What is at stake in all of this is nothing less than our democracy."
The
top Democrat and Trump's chief nemesis in Congress addressed fellow
lawmakers shortly before her chamber took a Halloween morning vote along
party lines—232 to 196—to pass a resolution that lays out rules for the
next stages of the impeachment process.
Trump has repeatedly branded the process as illegitimate and politically motivated and, true to form, his reaction was swift.
"The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History!" he boomed on Twitter.
Embarrassing likelihood
He
called on Republicans to rally behind him even as he faced the
embarrassing likelihood of becoming the third president in history to be
impeached and placed on trial for removal in the Senate, over an
alleged extortion scheme to obtain Ukraine's help to get him re-elected
in 2020.
The embattled president retweeted a rallying
cry from Fox News host Laura Ingraham that called on Republicans to
"stand together and defend the leader of their party against these
smears."
"This farce should never be allowed to roll
into a winter show trial," read the tweet—suggesting Trump would want
the Republican leadership in the Senate to shut the process down.
Trump
is accused of withholding military aid to compel Ukraine to mount an
embarrassing corruption probe against his Democratic election rival Joe
Biden—effectively using US foreign policy in an illegal shakedown for
his personal political benefit.
Trump and loyal
Republicans dismiss the case as a "sham," but congressional
investigators have heard a steady flow of corroborating evidence from
government officials testifying behind closed doors on Capitol Hill.
The
landmark resolution did not have unanimous Democratic approval. Two
Democrats joined all Republicans in opposing the measure, although
former Republican Justin Amash, now an independent, supported it.
The inquiry now moves into the public eye—giving Americans the chance to hear on live television the evidence against Trump.
Hearings
The
House Intelligence Committee, which has led the inquiry so far, will
host open hearings, presenting witnesses and documentary evidence and
allowing Republicans to challenge the case against Trump.
The minority can also suggest subpoenas but majority Democrats have final say, a rule that has angered Republicans.
"Trying to put a ribbon on a sham process doesn't make it any less of a sham," House Republican Jim Jordan fumed.
Democrats
argue that the vote neutralizes a key Republican talking point that the
inquiry has no validity because the full House did not sign on.
Neither the House rules nor the US Constitution require such a vote to start an impeachment inquiry.
Neither the House rules nor the US Constitution require such a vote to start an impeachment inquiry.
If
the case against Trump is deemed strong enough, the House Judiciary
Committee will draw up formal charges against the president -- articles
of impeachment—to be voted on by the full House.
That
process could be completed by year end. The Democrat-controlled House is
expected to approve impeachment, which would then see Trump go on trial
for removal in the Senate, where Republicans have a majority.
Democrats dismissed the charges that the process is partisan.
"There is serious evidence that President Trump may have violated the Constitution," said Jim McGovern, Chairman of the House Rules Committee which drew up the resolution.
Democrats dismissed the charges that the process is partisan.
"There is serious evidence that President Trump may have violated the Constitution," said Jim McGovern, Chairman of the House Rules Committee which drew up the resolution.
"If we don't hold this president accountable, we could be ceding our ability to hold any president accountable."
Nearly
a dozen witnesses so far have confirmed in House depositions the
accusations that, in a concerted effort with top aides and his personal
lawyer, Trump pressured Ukraine to help his re-election effort in 2020
by producing dirt on Biden, the former vice president.
The
allegations focus on a July 25 phone call in which Trump pressed
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to open investigations into Biden
and Biden's son, who worked with a Ukraine energy firm.
Tim Morrison, the White House National Security Council's top Russia expert, arrived on Capitol Hill Thursday to be deposed.
According
to other witnesses, Morrison, who resigned late Wednesday, has personal
knowledge of the White House effort to freeze military aid to Ukraine
to pressure Zelensky to launch the political investigations.
Investigators
also have called on Trump's former national security advisor John
Bolton to testify, along with two White House national security lawyers.
Bolton,
other witnesses have said, disagreed strongly with Trump's tactics
toward Ukraine and the involvement of his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani
in Ukraine policy.
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