Everyone's Having The Same Reaction To The Articles Of Impeachment Against Trump
After months of speculation and weeks of testimony, the House of Representatives announced on Dec. 10 that it would bring articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. The White House did not immediately respond to Elite Daily's request for comment on the articles of impeachment. Are you ready? Am I ready? Well, Twitter appears to be ready, because these tweets about the articles of impeachment show everyone's preparing themselves for the long haul.
After several weeks of both closed-door and public hearings, House Democrats announced on Dec. 10 that they would bring two articles of impeachment against Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, in connection to the president's dealings with Ukraine. In a brief press conference on Tuesday morning, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, accompanied by the chairs of several prominent House committees including Reps. Jerry Nadler and Adam Schiff, announced the articles. "Our president holds the ultimate public trust," Nadler said at the press conference. He continued,
When he betrays that trust and puts himself before country, he endangers the Constitution, he endangers our democracy, and he endangers our national security. The framers of the Constitution prescribed a clear remedy for presidents who so violate their oath of office: That is the power of impeachment.
At question are allegations that Trump attempted to pressure Ukraine into investigating the family of his domestic political rival, Vice President Joe Biden. In a July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump asked Zelensky for a "favor" and suggested Ukraine investigate Biden's son; the United States subsequently delayed the release of some $400 million in U.S. military aid to Ukraine. Trump has denied any quid pro quo regarding the two issues, and claimed that his request to Zelensky was due to concerns about corruption. Democrats have claimed in turn that the president's request was an attempt to persuade a foreign government to act for his personal political benefit.
But given the scandal that has so frequently engulfed the White House — the Stormy Daniels scandal, the Mueller investigation, the myriad close Trump associates now serving prison sentences — a lot of people seemed to be ready for this straw to break the camel's back.
Many people highlighted another quote from Nadler. "We must be clear: No one, not even the president, is above the law," he said.
A lot of people also noted the historical impact of the moment. If, as is likely, the Judiciary Committee votes to approve the articles of impeachment, Trump would only be the third-ever president to be impeached, following Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Neither were convicted in the Senate trial. President Richard Nixon resigned from office before impeachment could move to the full House vote, after a devastating vote against him in the Judiciary Committee.
The planned schedule for the next steps in the impeachment proceedings is tight. Only a few hours after the press conference, House Democrats released the drafts of the two articles of impeachment. Debate on the articles is planned to begin on Wednesday, Dec. 11, and the House Judiciary Committee may vote on them as early as Thursday, Dec. 12. From there, any approved articles would go to the House floor, where a simple majority vote would approve them — and Trump would, officially, be impeached.
Any approved articles are likely to pass both the Judiciary Committee and the House itself, both places where Democrats hold a majority. They will likely have a harder time in the Republican-held Senate, however. Republicans have largely rallied behind Trump, making it uncertain whether an impeachment trial would result in the 67 votes required to convict and remove a president from office.
