The U.S. House of Representatives may pull the trigger on an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formally announced Tuesday afternoon that she will give her blessing to the opening of an impeachment inquiry against the president, the latest development surrounding a controversial phone call made by Trump to Ukraine's new president.
"Today, I'm announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry," said Pelosi, who meet with the House Democratic caucus Tuesday.
Pelosi had been cool to the question of impeachment before, believing that the divisive process would make Democrats in Republican-leaning districts vulnerable in the 2020 elections, but as of Tuesday afternoon, two-thirds of all House Democrats have indicated they will call for and support an impeachment inquiry.
An unnamed whistleblower had reported the phone call in question, made by Trump to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, allegedly indicated that Trump pressured Ukraine to begin an investigation into former Vice-President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. Biden is a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and would run against Trump if he does get the nomination.
Congressional Republicans are not particularly fazed, however. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California told media after Pelosi`s announcement that it doesn`t change how things are going.
"What she said today made no difference of what`s been going on," said McCarthy as reported by CNN.
Trump said Tuesday he will release an uncensored transcript of the phone call. In a tweet, the president called the inquiry a ``witch hunt``.
Impeachment is not the removal of an official from office, but rather the formal bringing of charges against the official. A House committee would draft an article of impeachment, which consists of the actual charge, and it is put to a vote of the full U.S. House. If it passes, a trial would take place in the U.S. Senate, president by the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. A two-thirds vote of the Senate is needed to convict the official and remove him or her from office.
Two U.S. Presidents have been impeached. Andrew Johnson narrowly escaped conviction in 1868 for alleged violations of the Tenure of Office Act. Bill Clinton was acquitted in 1999 after being charged with lying to investigators about his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
A third President, Richard Nixon, faced impeachment and likely conviction in 1974 for his role in the Watergate cover-up. A House committee had approved articles of impeachment but Nixon resigned before the full House could vote.
In another development on Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Senate unanimously passed a resolution calling for that whistleblower's complaint to be referred to both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees.
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