Pelosi directs House committee to draft articles of impeachment

Washington

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said she has directed a House committee to draft articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump over his effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate a political rival, a historic step that sets up a fight over whether to oust him from office.

"The president abused his power for his own personal political benefit at the expense of our national security by withholding military aid and a crucial Oval Office meeting in exchange for an announcement of an investigation into his political rival," Mrs Pelosi said in a televised statement.

The impeachment fight undertaken by House Democrats is unfolding even as the Republican president is running for re-election in 2020.

"Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our Founders and our hearts full of love for America, today I am asking our chairman to proceed with articles of impeachment," she added, referring to House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler.

Mrs Pelosi made the remarks a day after the Judiciary Committee held a hearing in which three constitutional law experts called by Democratic lawmakers said Mr Trump had engaged in conduct that represents impeachable offences under the Constitution. A fourth expert called by Republican lawmakers called the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry rushed and flawed.

Articles of impeachment represent formal charges against Mr Trump and would originate in the Judiciary Committee before going to the full House. If the Democratic-led House passes articles of impeachment as expected, that would lead to a trial in the Senate on whether to convict Mr Trump of those charges and remove him from office. Republicans control the Senate and have shown little support for Mr Trump's removal.

White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said on Twitter that Mrs Pelosi and other Democrats "should be ashamed", adding that Mr Trump "has done nothing but lead our country - resulting in a booming economy, more jobs and a stronger military, to name just a few of his major accomplishments. We look forward to a fair trial in the Senate." The three law professors chosen by the Democrats made clear during Wednesday's hearing that they believed Mr Trump's actions constituted impeachable offences including abuse of power, bribery, obstruction of Congress and obstruction of justice.

The House Intelligence Committee this week submitted findings from its inquiry into Mr Trump's push for Kiev to launch an investigation related to former US Vice-President Joe Biden, a top contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Mr Trump also asked Ukraine to look into the discredited theory promoted by the president and his allies that Ukraine, not Russia, meddled in the 2016 US election.

Democrats have accused Mr Trump of abusing his power by withholding US$391 million in security aid to Ukraine - a US ally facing Russian aggression - to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to announce the investigations.

"Our democracy is what is at stake. The president leaves us no choice but to act because he is trying to corrupt, once again, the election for his own benefit. The president has engaged in abuse of power, undermining our national security and jeopardising the integrity of our elections," Mrs Pelosi said.

Mr Trump has denied any wrongdoing and called the impeachment investigation a hoax.

The House may vote by year's end on the formal impeachment charges, but Democrats, who control the chamber, say no decision has been made at this point on the specific charges. Those could include abuse of power, bribery, obstruction of Congress and obstruction of justice. REUTERS