House Passes Trump Impeachment Inquiry Resolution. Trump Is Disturbed
As Trump was trying to take Ukraine help to intervene in the 2020 election, a whistleblower’s complaint has become the basis of a new impeachment inquiry against Trump.
By Rakesh Raman
In order to formalize the impeachment inquiry of U.S. President Donald Trump, the first formal floor vote took place Thursday. The inquiry process is supposed to decide if Trump could be impeached for his alleged crimes particularly to seek foreign help to win the presidential race in 2020.
Republicans accused Democrats of launching a de facto “coup” against Trump in a bid to overturn the results of the 2016 election in which Trump won. Democrats, however, argue that it is their fundamental responsibility to defend the Constitution by holding the president accountable for his wrongdoings.
“This is a solemn day in the history of our country when the president’s misconduct has compelled us to continue to move forward with an impeachment inquiry,” said Congressman Adam Schiff in a press conference after voting to approve the resolution (232-196) that formalized the impeachment inquiry against Trump.
[ Trump Threatens to Sue the Democrats and Adam Schiff for Fraud ]
Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body such as the Congress levels charges against a government official including the President. Impeachment is not supposed to remove the official from office. Rather, it is only a process for indictment.
If the official is convicted after indictment, then only he or she can be removed from office. Only those individuals can be impeached who commit crimes such as treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
Trump reacted sharply after Democrats’ decision to start a formal impeachment probe. “While the Do Nothing Democrats FAIL the American People, and continue the Impeachment Scam, my Administration will continue to deliver REAL RESULTS, as seen over the past month!” Trump tweeted today.
Democrats retort by saying that the impeachment process is supposed to defend the democracy in America. “When we came to Congress, we all proudly raised our hands to support and defend the Constitution. That’s what today’s vote was about. In these open hearings we will seek the truth and ensure the American people can see it for themselves,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Speaker Pelosi delivered her remarks on the Floor of the House of Representatives in support of H. Res. 660, which establishes the procedure for the next phase of the House’s impeachment inquiry.
TRUMP IMPEACHMENT
A new transcript of a call between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart reveals that Trump asked for Ukraine help to investigate a case related to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden who is expected to be his rival in the 2020 presidential election.
In the phone call that took place between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25, Trump asked the Ukrainian leader to work with the U.S. attorney general to investigate the Biden case.
Trump and his accomplices such as Rudy Giuliani (who is also facing criminal investigation in this case) and a slew of Republicans are making unsubstantiated claims that Joe Biden – as the former U.S. Vice President – had improperly influenced Ukraine to protect his son, Hunter Biden, in a corruption case.
As Trump was trying to take Ukraine help to intervene in the 2020 election so that he could attack his rival Biden with corruption allegations, a whistleblower reported the matter to a State Department inspector general.
[ Meet Donald Trump: Putin’s Man in the White House ]
The whistleblower’s complaint has become the basis of a new impeachment inquiry against Trump announced by Pelosi who says Trump’s actions amount to betrayal of the national security and betrayal of the integrity of U.S. elections.
Since Trump – like a gangster – had threatened to eliminate the whistleblower, the Democrats are reluctant to call the whistleblower for questioning, which has added to Trump’s disturbance.
“The entire impeachment scam was based on my perfect Ukrainian call, and the whistleblower’s account of that call, which turned out to be false (a fraud?). Once I released the actual call, their entire case fell apart. The Democrats must end this scam now. Witch Hunt!” Trump had tweeted.
Earlier, in his report on Trump-Russia ties and his testimony on July 24 special counsel Robert Mueller said categorically that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to help Trump win.
In her statement issued Friday (October 25), Speaker Pelosi informed that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has ruled that the House is entitled to grand jury material related to the Mueller Report, which outlines the President’s solicitation of foreign interference in elections and multiple instances of obstructing justice.
“Today’s ruling in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is another blow to President Trump’s attempt to put himself above the law,” Pelosi said.
Meanwhile, in an ongoing RMN Poll, 55% of people suggest that Congress should impeach Trump who had allegedly taken Russia’s help to win the 2016 presidential race.
The 2020 U.S. presidential election is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. He also creates and publishes a number of digital publications on different subjects.
