Democrats announce Trump impeachment inquiry
The United States Democratic Party has begun a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump over allegations that he pressured a foreign power to damage a political rival.
In a statement on Tuesday, top Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, said Mr Trump had betrayed his oath of office and committed “a violation of the law”.
She called his actions “a breach of his constitutional responsibilities”.
She added, “This week the president has admitted to asking the president of Ukraine to take action that would benefit him politically. The president must be held accountable. No-one is above the law.”
BBC reports that, the high-stakes move by House Speaker Ms Pelosi, prompted by allegations that Mr Trump pressured the Ukrainian president to investigate his leading political rival Joe Biden, lays the groundwork for a potentially hugely consequential confrontation between Democrats and the president ahead of the 2020 election.
If the inquiry moves forward the House of Representatives will vote on any charges and, with the Democrats in the majority, the vote would likely be carried – making Mr Trump the third president in US history to have been impeached.
However, the proceedings would likely then stall in the Senate, where the president’s Republican Party holds enough seats to prevent him from being removed from office by a two-thirds majority, according to BBC.
