'The president leaves us no choice but to act': Pelosi asks House to pursue articles of impeachment
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said that she is asking her colleagues to pursue articles of impeachment against President Trump for his “failure to faithfully execute the law” in his dealings with Ukraine.
“Our democracy is what is at stake,” Pelosi said in a prepared statement delivered on Capitol Hill. “The president leaves us no choice but to act, because he is trying to corrupt, once again, the election for his own benefit.”
Pelosi’s remarks came less than three months after she announced a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump, and a day after the sixth public hearing in the probe.
“Over the past few weeks,” Pelosi said, “the American people have heard the testimony of truly patriotic career public servants, distinguished diplomats and decorated war heroes, some of the president’s own appointees.
“The facts are uncontested,” she continued. “The president abused his power for his own personal political benefit at the expense of our national security by withholding military aid and a crucial Oval Office meeting in exchange for an announcement of an investigation into his political rival.”
On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee convened its first impeachment hearing, during which three constitutional scholars testified that they believe Trump committed impeachable offenses. (Another witness dissented, saying more evidence is needed.)
Pelosi said the legal scholars “illuminated without a doubt” that Trump’s actions have “seriously violated the Constitution.”
“His wrongdoing strikes at the very heart of our Constitution: a separation of powers, three coequal branches, each a check and balance on the other,” she said.
Later, during her weekly press conference, Pelosi unloaded a reporter who asked if she hates the president.
“I don’t hate anybody,” Pelosi said. “I was raised in a Catholic house. We don’t hate anybody — not anybody in the world. So don’t accuse me of that.”
The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold its second public impeachment hearing Monday. If the Democrat-led House approves articles of impeachment against Trump, they would be sent over to the Republican-controlled Senate for a trial that would begin in January.
Earlier Thursday, Trump issued a prebuttal of sorts on Twitter.
“The Do Nothing Democrats had a historically bad day yesterday in the House,” the president tweeted. “They have no Impeachment case and are demeaning our Country. But nothing matters to them, they have gone crazy. Therefore I say, if you are going to impeach me, do it now, fast, so we can have a fair trial in the Senate, and so that our Country can get back to business. We will have Schiff, the Bidens, Pelosi and many more testify, and will reveal, for the first time, how corrupt our system really is. I was elected to ‘Clean the Swamp,’ and that’s what I am doing!”
After Pelosi’s announcement, Trump again responded with a pair of tweets.
“The Do Nothing, Radical Left Democrats have just announced that they are going to seek to Impeach me over NOTHING,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “They already gave up on the ridiculous Mueller ‘stuff,’ so now they hang their hats on two totally appropriate (perfect) phone calls with the Ukrainian President. This will mean that the beyond important and seldom used act of Impeachment will be used routinely to attack future Presidents. That is not what our Founders had in mind. The good thing is that the Republicans have NEVER been more united. We will win!”
_____
Download the Yahoo News app to customize your experience.
Read more from Yahoo News:
Trump Impeachment Hearings: 4 takeaways from Day 6 of public testimony
By 3 to 1, legal scholars call for Trump impeachment at first Judiciary hearing
Boredom, not public persuasion, is the goal in Judiciary phase of impeachment
Energized by impeachment, Dems try to pry answers from White House
Dem lawmaker wants Trump’s 'racism' included in articles of impeachment
Democrats set to move 'swiftly' to impeach Trump, likely by end of month
