Trump news - live:‘Can you believe this?’ President rages at ‘garbage’ Democrat impeachment investigation
Nancy Pelosi announces that Democrats are starting proceedings to try to force Donald Trump from office
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After having the threat hanging over him for what has felt like almost the whole of his presidency, Donald Trump now finally faces a formal impeachment investigation.
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, announced that she was beginning the inquiry in response to allegations that the president was trying to recruit a foreign head of state to fabricate dirt on Joe Biden, the frontrunner to face Mr Trump in next year’s election.
In a statement she said: “The actions of the Trump presidency have revealed the dishonourable fact of the president’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections.”
It was a dramatic change of tack by Ms Pelosi, who has opposed efforts by her party colleagues to impeach the president.
But the controversy over Mr Trump’s mysterious July phone call to Volodymyr Zelensky, the efforts to keep a whistleblower’s complaint from Congress, and the suspicion that the president was trying to subvert American democracy - perhaps for a second time - served to change her mind.
The president himself punched back in characteristic fashion, unleashing a broadside of tweets that were by turn angry, insulting and boastful.
He reverted to some of his favourite catchphrases - “witch hunt”, “presidential harassment”; implied that efforts to hold him to account were tantamount to an attack on America - “so bad for our country”; and tweeted a re-election campaign video that featured him claiming that impeachment would help his poll numbers.
The impeachment process itself is likely to pass the lower chamber of Congress, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, where it needs a simple majority. But the Republican-controlled Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required for a conviction, looks virtually unattainable.
The Democrats will therefore hope that their dramatic gamble, 14 months before the presidential elections, pays off.
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Lest we forget Donald Trump's nationalist speech at the United Nations today came in the midst of increased support for his impeachment, with a reported 15 Democrats joining calls to remove the president from office overnight:
Donald Trump and Boris Johnson are holding a bilateral press conference right now amid both of their major controversies. Stay tuned for more...
Boris Johnson says his minority governments "respects the judiciary" but that "we need to get on with Brexit".
Donald Trump said the question posed to the prime minister was "very nasty" and came from an American reporter.
"It's just another day in the office," Donald Trump said about Boris Johnson's latest scandal in which a top court ruled the prime minister's move to prorogue his government was illegal.
Donald Trump is now repeating his claim he wanted other countries to pay more towards Ukraine's military defence before he sent US money over after accusations the president withheld the funds while urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch an investigation into his 2020 rival Joe Biden's son, Hunter.
Donald Trump is once again repeating his apparent falsehoods about predicting Brexit -
The president slammed his predecessor when discussing his Ukraine scandal, saying "Obama used to send pillows" to the country to support its military defence - an obvious falsehood - whereas he "sends tanks".
To be clear, Donald Trump reportedly withheld financial aid to the country while urging the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch an investigation into his 2020 political rival Joe Biden's son, Hunter.
Another Democrat announces their support for impeachment ahead of the 4:00pm meeting among the Democratic caucus:
A powerful line from John Lewis speech in which the Democrat announced his support for impeaching Donald Trump - "We took an oath to protect this nation against all domestic enemies... Sometimes I'm afraid to go to sleep for fear I will wake up and our Democracy will be gone."
There are reports of a potential overflow of politicians announcing their support for impeachment ahead of a 4:00pm meeting among the Democratic caucus on Capitol Hill -
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