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
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
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.
Please allow the live blog time to load...
And the calls just keep growing for Donald Trump's impeachment.
Now, one of the top Senate Democrats have announced their support for beginning officials proceedings to remove the president from office -
In somewhat lighter news: Greta Thunberg clearly has a sense of humour. The 16-year-old climate activist served the perfect clapback and a healthy dose of shade to Donald Trump after he mocked her speech to the United Nations climate summit on Twitter last night:
Joe Biden is reportedly set to throw his weight behind calls for the impeachment of Donald Trump, if the president fails to cooperate with Congress over his controversial phone call to the leader of Ukraine.
He will be delivering his remarks within the hour. Stay tuned for more...
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reportedly preparing major action surrounding Donald Trump's potential impeachment after the president's Ukrainian scandal. Look for more information on that to come shortly after (or during) the Democratic caucus meeting today at 4:00pm:
Donald Trump said he would release “fully declassified and unredacted transcript” of his call with the president of Ukraine just hours before Nancy Pelosi was set to deliver a major statement on investigations into the president.
In a tweet before House Democrats were set to convene and discuss launching formal impeachment proceedings into Mr Trump, the president tweeted: “I am currently at the United Nations representing our Country, but have authorised the release tomorrow of the complete, fully declassified and unredacted transcript of my phone conversation with President Zelensky of Ukraine.”
“You will see it was a very friendly and totally appropriate call,” he added. “No pressure and, unlike Joe Biden and his son, NO quid pro quo! This is nothing more than a continuation of the Greatest and most Destructive Witch Hunt of all time!”
Story to come...
Donald Trump used an anti-semitic phrase during his speech to the UN General Assembly, referring to “globalists” trying to take over the world.
“The future does not belong to globalists. The future belongs to patriots. The future belongs to strong, independent nations,” the president said, while discussing international trade.
Referring to the term “globalist,” Israeli newspaper Haaretz has written that: “White supremacists have used the term as a barely concealed dog-whistle for several years, but the problem comes when it’s used in the ‘globalist vs. nationalist’ economic debate.”
Mr Trump went on to urge world’s leaders to prioritise their own nations, with strong borders and one-on-one trade deals, rather than work towards transnational organizations and alliances.
BREAKING: The whistle-blower who raised alarms about Donald Trump's phone call with the Ukrainian president has said they would like to speak to the House Intelligence Committee -
The US intelligence official who "blew the whistle" on Donald Trump's phone call with the leader of Ukraine reportedly wants to testify before Congress.
Joe Biden is now delivering his statement in which he is set to call for Donald Trump's impeachment. Stay tuned for more...
"This isn't a Democrat issue or a Republican issue, it's a national issue," Joe Biden said, calling for the release of a whistle-blower complaint reportedly involving Donald Trump.
"He continues to obstruct Congress," Mr Biden said of the president.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments