In a high-stakes move, Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday announced formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump‘s actions, arguing that he has violated the Constitution and acknowledged that he asked president of Ukraine to take actions that would benefit him politically.
“The President must be held accountable. No one is above the law,” she said.
The impeachment inquiry will have implications for 2020 election as well as for both Democrats and Republicans in an unusually charged political environment.
Reacting to the move, Trump dismissed the inquiry and in a Twitter post called it ‘PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT.’
Secretary of State Pompeo recieved permission from Ukraine Government to release the transcript of the telephone call I had with their President. They don’t know either what the big deal is. A total Witch Hunt Scam by the Democrats!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2019
While making a case for the impeachment inquiry, Pelosi said the actions taken to date by the President have “seriously violated the Constitution – especially when the President says, ‘Article II says, I can do whatever I want.’”
The House Speaker’s announcement made from the Speaker’s Balcony with American flags forming a formal background, came as a sudden major turn in American politics as Pelosi had resisted calls to launch impeachment proceedings into the President’s conduct of policies and actions.
“And this week, the President has admitted to asking the President of Ukraine to take actions which would benefit him politically. The action of – the actions of the Trump Presidency revealed the dishonorable fact of the President’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security, and betrayal of the integrity of our elections.”
“I am directing our six Committees to proceed with their investigations under that umbrella of impeachment inquiry,” she said, referring to the ongoing investigations into President Trump, and seek to gather ‘all the relevant facts and consider whether to exercise its full Article I powers, including a constitutional power of the utmost gravity — approval of articles of impeachment.
The times have found us. The actions taken to date by the President have seriously violated the Constitution. It is for this reason that the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry. pic.twitter.com/cHq7zgKJ1g
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) September 24, 2019
Pelosi noted that the Intelligence Community Inspector General formally notified the Congress that the Administration was forbidding him from turning over a whistleblower complaint regarding President Trump’s call to a foreign leader.
“On Constitution Day. This is a violation of law.”
“Shortly thereafter, press reports began to break of a phone call by the President of the United States calling upon a foreign power to intervene in his election. This is a breach of his constitutional responsibilities.”
Democratic leaders cheered the move while GOP leaders ran to the president’s defense in an indication of the high-pitched political battle ahead.
