‘Our democracy is at stake’: House formalises Trump impeachment inquiry
New York: Democrats have turbocharged their impeachment investigation into US President Donald Trump, passing a historic resolution formalising the rules for the inquiry.
The vote on Thursday (Friday AEDT) was the first time House members have cast a vote on the impeachment inquiry and proceeded almost entirely along party lines.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi introduced the inquiry resolution.Credit:AP
No House Republicans voted for the resolution, underscoring Trump's continuing hold over the Republican Party and the polarised nature of US politics.
The impeachment inquiry resolution introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi passed by 232 votes to 196.
This is only the fourth time in US history that an impeachment inquiry has been launched against a president.
Two House Democrats – Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey – defected from their party and voted against the resolution.
Justin Amash, a former Republican who became an independent earlier this year, voted in favour of the impeachment resolution.
"What is at stake in all of this is nothing less than our democracy," Pelosi said on the floor of the House of Representatives.
"I don’t know why the Republicans are afraid of the truth."
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said: "This impeachment is not only an attempt to undo the last election, it's an attempt to influence the next one as well."
The White House immediately blasted the vote, saying Democrats were wasting time on a "sham impeachment – a blatantly partisan attempt to destroy the president".
"With today’s vote, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats have done nothing more than enshrine unacceptable violations of due process into House rules," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said.
"The Democrats want to render a verdict without giving the administration a chance to mount a defense. That is unfair, unconstitutional, and fundamentally un-American."
Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry into Trump in September, but this was esentially a rebranding of existing committees and did not require a House floor vote.
Republicans had attacked Democrats for not officially authorising the inquiry, as happened with president Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.
They have also blasted the Democrats for holding hearings behind closed doors.
The resolution passed on Thursday allows the impeachment process to a more public stage.
It authorises the House Intelligence Committee — the panel that has been leading the impeachment investigation — to convene public hearings which will be broadcast on television to millions of viewers.
The Intelligence Committee will then send a report to the House Judiciary Committee, which would draft articles of impeachment.
More to come
Source: Read Full Article