Two charges: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress
Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jerrold Nadler formally announced the two articles of impeachment filed against President Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Trump’s “efforts to solicit foreign interference in the 2020 election” “compromised our national security and threatened the integrity of our elections,” Nadler says.
Trump has denied all wrongdoing.
“We must take this solemn step today,” Nadler says.
The integrity of our next election is at risk, from a president that has already sought foreign interference.. and has consistently put himself above country.”
Democrats say Trump dangled two bargaining chips – $400m (£309m) of military aid to Ukraine that had already been allocated by Congress, and a White House meeting with Ukraine’s new leader.
They think this political pressure on a vulnerable US ally amounts to an abuse of power.
The first investigation Trump wanted from Ukraine was into one of his main Democratic challengers, Joe Biden, and his son Hunter.
Hunter joined the board of a Ukrainian company when Joe Biden was US vice-president. The second Trump demand was that Ukraine try to corroborate a conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the last US presidential election.
This theory has been widely debunked, and the US intelligence agencies are unanimous in saying Moscow was behind the hacking of Democratic Party emails in 2016.
Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jerrold Nadler formally announced the two articles of impeachment filed against President Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Trump’s “efforts to solicit foreign interference in the 2020 election” “compromised our national security and threatened the integrity of our elections,” Nadler says.
Trump has denied all wrongdoing.
“We must take this solemn step today,” Nadler says.
The integrity of our next election is at risk, from a president that has already sought foreign interference.. and has consistently put himself above country.”
