Trump impeachment: House impeaches president in historic vote along party lines
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Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
The House has voted to impeach Donald Trump, making him the third president in American history to receive such a censure.
After roughly eight hours of debate, the House of Representatives gathered to vote and ultimately charged him with abusing the power of his office by attempting to extort a political favour from Ukraine. The House then voted on a second article of impeachment, approving formal charges that Mr Trump had obstructed Congress during the subsequent congressional investigation into his conduct.
The Senate will now take up the approved impeachment articles in the new year.
Defiant as ever, Mr Trump walked onstage at a rally in Michigan just as the House began voting — and was bragging about his Space Force and mocking stock market jitters as the first article of impeachement was approved. Before it became official, as the vote crept towards approving the first article of impeachment, Mr Trump was interrupted by a protester, who he suggested was treated too well by security forces — and that they should have been tougher on her.
Before the vote and rally, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius described a letter sent by Mr Trump to House speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday as “the most unpresidential presidential document ever written” on MSNBC’s Morning Joe after rallies backing the impeachment process were held in cities across the country on Tuesday evening.
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Despite Republicans’ frequent claims that Democrats are now “the party of impeachment,” today’s vote will mark the first time that Democrats have impeached a Republican president. Both prior completed impeachments have been of Democratic presidents.
For anyone wondering when the debate may end, the House is on track for a 7pm EST vote on impeachment, given the remaining time available to Democrats and Republicans today.
Rep. John Lewis, the hero of the civil rights movement who now represents Georgia, is recalling the time he came to Washington to march for civil rights. “This is a sad day, it is not a day of joy,” he says.
“when you see something that is not right...you have a moral obligation to do something,” he says.
Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, accused House Democrats of abuses of power “over the past three years” since Donald Trump became president.
Republicans controlled the House for the first two years of Mr Trump’s presidency.
“I come to this floor not as a Democrat, not as a Republican, but as an American,” says former Republican (now Independent) Justin Amash of Michigan, speaking during Democrats’ time in support of impeachment.
“President Donald J Trump has abused and violated the public trust” by “abusing his high office” for “personal and political gain,” he adds.
Here's John Lewis, speaking to the gravity of today's vote:
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Ohio, appears to believe that Richard Nixon was impeached. He was not. He resigned before the House could vote on articles of impeachment.
Another retweet of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, right here:
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, says President Trump has "an open border policy" for election interference.
You can watch along with The Independent's live stream of today's momentous and historic vote, right here:
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