WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has been impeached by the US House of Representatives becoming the third American chief executive to be formally charged for “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
As many as 197 US House lawmakers voted against the impeachment motion while the 230 voted for the motion in the historic move, BBC reported.
The historic vote split along party lines, much the way it has divided the nation, over the charges that the 45th president abused the power of his office by enlisting a foreign government to investigate a political rival ahead of the 2020 election. The House then approved a second charge, that he obstructed Congress in its investigation.
The House of Representatives had debated on Wednesday ahead of a historic vote on two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.
The articles of impeachment, the political equivalent of an indictment, now go to the Senate for trial. If Trump is acquitted by the Republican-led chamber, as expected, he would have to run for reelection carrying the enduring mark of impeachment on his purposely disruptive presidency.
Democrats led Wednesday night’s voting, framed in what many said was their duty to protect the Constitution and uphold the nation’s system of checks and balances. Republicans stood by their party’s leader, who has frequently tested the bounds of civic norms. Trump called the whole affair a “witch hunt,” a “hoax” and a “sham,” and sometimes all three.
The trial is expected to begin in January in the Senate, where a vote of two-thirds is necessary for conviction. While Democrats had the majority in the House to impeach Trump, Republicans control the Senate and few if any are expected to diverge from plans to acquit the president ahead of early state election-year primary voting.
He has been charged with abusing his office and obstructing Congress that would make him the third U.S. president to be impeached. (Agencies)
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