Judiciary Committee, along party lines, tees up a full House vote next week
The House Judiciary Committee approved two articles of impeachment charging President Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, setting up a vote by the full House next week before the matter moves to the Senate after the new year.
The panel’s party-line votes Friday morning came after Democrats and Republicans sparred in an all-day debate Thursday over whether Mr. Trump improperly pressured Ukraine to start probes that would help him politically and then tried to block Congress from fully investigating the allegations.
“Today is a solemn and sad day,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D., N.Y.). “The House will act expeditiously.”
If the full House approves either of the counts in a vote expected on Wednesday, Mr. Trump would become the third American president to be impeached. The matter would then move to the Republican-controlled Senate, where the tally is expected to fall short of the two-thirds vote required to remove Mr. Trump from office.
House Republicans said Democrats had abused the process, suggesting it was illegitimate because of their opposition to Mr. Trump since he took office. “This is an outrage,” said Rep. Louie Gohmert (R., Texas). “It sets the bar for any president of any party for the future to go through three years of hell like this president.”
Mr. Trump, in comments to reporters, dismissed the committee’s vote, calling impeachment a “very sad thing for our country.”
Next week will be busy. The House must keep the government funded beyond Friday, when a temporary spending measure expires. It also may take up a rewrite of a trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, a priority for moderate Democrats seeking to show they can keep legislation on track even while trying to remove Mr. Trump from office.
Read the rest from the WSJ HERE.
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