WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives’ impeachment process is taking the next step as Democratic leaders are preparing to announce two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, The Associated Press reported.
Watch below:
Update 11:08 a.m. EST Dec. 10: The House Judiciary Committee has released the articles of impeachment. Read them below.
Articles of Impeachment by National Content Desk on Scribd
Update 10:12 a.m. EST Dec. 10: White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said of the impeachment charges, “The President will address these false charges in the Senate and expects to be fully exonerated, because he did nothing wrong," according to Bloomberg.
Update 10:02 a.m. EST Dec. 10: Trump reacted on Twitter to the announcement, saying that there was no pressure for Ukraine to interfere in the election. He also called the move a witch hunt.
Update 9:27 a.m. EST Dec. 10: Trump has not responded to the impeachment announcement, but earlier in the day, he went to Twitter defending himself, saying he has done nothing wrong.
Update 9:20 a.m. EST Dec. 10: The press conference ended with no lawmakers taking questions from reporters.
Update 9:14 a.m. EST Dec. 10: Rep. Adam Schiff took the podium saying that the president left Congress no choice, saying that if lawmakers hadn’t acted they would have been complicit.
Schiff said the evidence against the president was “overwhelming and uncontested."
Schiff says the president’s conduct continues as the impeachment inquiry continued, citing the recent trip by Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani to Ukraine.
Update 9:07 a.m. EST Dec. 10: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi approached the podium calling today a “solemn day.”
She was followed by Rep. Jerry Nadler, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, to announce the findings of the impeachment hearings held over the past few weeks.
The committee charged President Donald Trump with high crimes and misdemeanors, saying that he abused his power as president.
The second article was obstruction of Congress as announced by Nadler.
Nadler added that “no one, not even the president is above the law.”
Nadler said the Judiciary Committee will meet to vote on the articles of impeachment later this week.
Original report: The House Democrats allege Trump asked Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, using almost $400 million in military aid as a bargaining tool, CNN reported.
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The formal charges are expected to be announced on Tuesday morning and are expected to be abuse of power and obstructing Congress, The Washington Post reported.
A press conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. Reps. Jerry Nadler, Adam Schiff, Eliot Engle, Maxine Waters, and Carolyn Maloney will participate in the announcement, according to CBS News.
Despite the reports and a meeting Monday night, Pelosi while appearing at an event hosted by the Wall Street Journal said no decision has been made, the Post reported.
The Judiciary Committee will have a debate on the articles before voting, CNN reported. The committee’s process is expected to happen Thursday then the articles could be sent to the full House with a vote that could come as early as next week.
Pelosi has not said if she has enough votes to impeach Trump, but said that House members should vote their conscience, the AP reported.