The U.S. House of Representatives approved on the night of December 18 thyding up a political trial against President Donald Trump.
First, the democratic opposition-held lower house passed with 230 votes in favour and 197 against, being prosecuted for the charge of “abuse of power.”
The charge of “obstruction of congressional work” was then passed.
In the Senate – which would open the impeachment in January, after the Christmas recess – Trump is expected to be acquitttttting, as it takes at least 67 votes to dismiss him and Republicans hold 53 of the 100 seats.
You may be interested: US lawmakers prepare vote for Trump’s impeachment
However, just going to trial would be a political blow to the representative.
The Republican tycoon is accused of trying to pressure Ukraine into investigating one of its main rivals ahead of the 2020 presidential presidential, former Vice President Joe Biden.
In the morning, Trump insisted on Twitter that he did “nothing wrong,” the next day of addressing a bitter letter to House leader Nancy Pelosi, telling her that “history will judge her harshly” through the process.
In a statement, the White House responded that the vote marks one of the “most embarrassing episodes” in U.S. history, as it assured that without evidence of irregularities the president was prosecuted.
He also criticized the Democratic group for its “desire to overturn the results of the 2016 election and unduly influence the 2020 election.”
“The President is confident that the Senate will restore order, fairness, and due process, and will continue to work tirelessly to address the needs and priorities of the American people, as it has since the day he took office,” the presidential institution ended.
Today marks the culmination in the House of one of the most shameful political episodes in the history of our Nation. Without a single Republican vote or any proof of wrongdoing, Democrats pushed illegitimate articles of impeachment through the House of Representatives.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 19, 2019
Later, he went on with another round of tweets, stating – all in capital letters – that this is “an attack on the United States and the Republican Party.”
The impeachment divides Americans: 45% want Trump to be dismissed (77% among Democratic voters) while 47 percent oppose it, according to a CNN-SSR poll.
On Wednesday, outside the Capitol in Washington, dozens of people, an AFP reporter reportedly gathered to ask for the president’s exit: “Trump has to go.”
Read: What Happened to US Presidents Facing Impeachment
“I feel like we have to show people in there that we care about this,” said Jill Watson, a 72-year-old retiree who favored the anti-representative trial.
The president is now looking to turn the process against him into an element that ties his bases and gives him a boost for re-election.
Aware of the electoral risk, Pelosi long held up calls to start a trial against Trump, until the Ukrainian scandal broke out.
He finally launched the investigation in late September, following an unidentified official’s complaint of the president’s alleged misconduct during a phone call on July 25 with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodimir Zelenski.
Several witnesses confirmed before the Lower House Judiciary Committee the pressure to force Kiev to announce the opening of a corruption investigation against Biden and his son.
The White House refused to cooperate with the investigation, calling it “unconstitutional,” and banned several of its advisers from testifying.
For this reason, Democrats accuse him as much of abusing his power for personal gain as he has obstructed the work of Congress.
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