LiveUpdated
Wednesday 18 December 2019 23:23
Donald Trump is set to become the third president in American history to be impeached on Wednesday when the House of Representatives gathers to vote on whether he abused the power of his office by attempting to extort a political favour from Ukraine and then obstructed the subsequent congressional investigation into his conduct.
Defiant as ever, Mr Trump insists he has done nothing wrong and that the process is a partisan “witch hunt” against him, writing a six-page letter to House speaker Nancy Pelosi accusing House Democrats of “declaring open war on American democracy”.
Washington Post columnist David Ignatius described the letter as “the most unpresidential presidential document ever written” on MSNBC’s Morning Joe after rallies backing the impeachment process were held in cities across the country on Tuesday evening.
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Republicans have repeatedly accused House Democrats of committing abuses of power, not the president, as outlined in impeachment articles, for their pursuit of impeachment.
Adam Schiff, striking back, says Republicans refuse to address the charges in their remarks. They groan. Schiff: “Apparently I’ve struck a nerve.”
New York Times op-ed questioning whether Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to hold a fair impeachment trial.
Sen. McConnell, she writes, “appears more interested in covering up the president’s misconduct than in pursuing truth and fairness.”
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has mocked Republican Barry Loudermilk, drawing attention to a bible verse on sacrilege after the congressman compared Donald Trump’s impeachment to the persecution of Jesus Christ.
She responded to his remarks with a reference to Romans 1:25, which reads: “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”
New York Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney with a double metaphor: “Like a tin can tied to his leg” Trump’s impeachment “will rattle behind him in the pages of history.”
Here’s Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ statement:
Donald Trump has departed the White House en route to his rally in Minnesota tonight, where it is sure he will comment on today’s impeachment proceedings.
Mr Trump has been astonishingly quiet for the past four hours or so as debate has continued. He’ll have some time, presumably, to tweet on Air Force One — though we’ll see.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, says President Trump has “an open border policy” for election interference.
Another retweet of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, right here:
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Ohio, appears to believe that Richard Nixon was impeached. He was not. He resigned before the House could vote on articles of impeachment.
Here’s John Lewis, speaking to the gravity of today’s vote:
“I come to this floor not as a Democrat, not as a Republican, but as an American,” says former Republican (now Independent) Justin Amash of Michigan, speaking during Democrats’ time in support of impeachment.
“President Donald J Trump has abused and violated the public trust” by “abusing his high office” for “personal and political gain,” he adds.
Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, accused House Democrats of abuses of power “over the past three years” since Donald Trump became president.
Republicans controlled the House for the first two years of Mr Trump’s presidency.
Rep. John Lewis, the hero of the civil rights movement who now represents Georgia, is recalling the time he came to Washington to march for civil rights. “This is a sad day, it is not a day of joy,” he says.
“when you see something that is not right…you have a moral obligation to do something,” he says.
For anyone wondering when the debate may end, the House is on track for a 7pm EST vote on impeachment, given the remaining time available to Democrats and Republicans today.
Despite Republicans’ frequent claims that Democrats are now “the party of impeachment,” today’s vote will mark the first time that Democrats have impeached a Republican president. Both prior completed impeachments have been of Democratic presidents.
“Donald J Trump sacrificed our security in an attempt to cheat in the next election…and for that…he must be impeached,” Schiff says to conclude his remarks
Schiff says Republicans “have made their choice” to allow President Trump to cheat because it helps their party.
Schiff notes that Rudy Giuliani is still trying to generate sham investigations into the Bidens: “the President and his men plot on,” he says
Schiff says President Trump did not care about corruption in Ukraine or Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia, he “only cared about a chance to cheat” in next year’s election.
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