Democrats in the US House of Representatives on Friday took Republican President Donald Trump to the brink of impeachment by approving two charges against him over his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Democratic political rival Joe Biden.
A divided House Judiciary Committee voted 23-17 along party lines to approve articles of impeachment charging Trump with abusing the power of his office over the Ukraine scandal and obstructing House Democrats’ attempts to investigate him for it.
“IT IS A HOAX”
Trump is expected to become the third US president to be impeached when the full Democratic-led House votes on the charges, likely next week, setting up a trial in the Republican-controlled Senate. Trump’s fellow Republicans have shown no signs of wanting to remove Trump from office.
“Impeachment is a hoax. It’s a sham,” Trump told reporters at the White House after the committee’s vote. “There was nothing done wrong. To use the power of impeachment for this nonsense is an embarrassment to this country.”
He said he thought Americans “are absolutely disgusted” with the process, but that it was benefiting him. “It’s a very sad thing for our country, but it seems to be good for me politically,” Trump said.