US House of Representatives votes to impeach Trump

WASHINGTON, December 19. /TASS/. The House of Representatives of the US Congress approved both articles of US President Donald Trump’s impeachment.

A total of 230 congressmen voted in favor of accusing Trump of abuse of power, 197 - against, one abstained.

Later in the day, 229 lawmakers voted to accuse Trump of obstructing of Congress, 198 were against, one abstained.

White House response

US President Donald Trump is convinced that he will be fully exonerated in the Senate within the framework of the impeachment procedure, the White House press service said in a statement.

"The President is confident the Senate will restore regular order, fairness, and due process, all of which were ignored in the House proceedings," the White House said. "He is prepared for the next steps and confident that he will be fully exonerated. President Trump will continue to work tirelessly to address the needs and priorities of the American people, as he has since the day he took office."

On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives voted to approve both articles of Trump’s impeachment - abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. A total of 230 congressmen voted in favor of accusing Trump of abuse of power, 197 - against, one abstained. Later in the day, 229 lawmakers voted to accuse him of obstruction of Congress, 198 were against, one abstained.

"Today marks the culmination in the House of one of the most shameful political episodes in the history of our Nation," the White House said in a statement. "Without receiving a single Republican vote, and without providing any proof of wrongdoing, Democrats pushed illegitimate articles of impeachment against the President through the House of Representatives."

"Democrats have chosen to proceed on this partisan basis in spite of the fact that the President did absolutely nothing wrong. Indeed, weeks of hearings have proved that he did nothing wrong," the statement continues.

According to the White House, the Democratic Party’s "boundless animus for President Trump fuels their desire to nullify the 2016 election results, and improperly influence the 2020 election."

The indictment, prepared as a result of the investigation in the Legal Committee, will be transferred to the Senate, where the procedure will turn into a trial. It will be led by the Chairman of the US Supreme Court. In this case the House of Representatives actually acts as a party to the prosecution, and senators play the role of a jury.

For impeachment to take place, at least two-thirds of the votes of senators are required (at least 67). For this reason, with the current line-up of the Senate, the probability of voting in favor of impeachment is virtually reduced to zero. Since the beginning of this year, Republicans (based on the results of the November midterm elections) have 53 out of 100 seats in the upper house of Congress.

Source: TASS