By Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick/Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Impeachment charges against President Donald Trump went to the full House on Friday, following approval by the House Judiciary Committee.
The House is expected to take up the two articles of impeachment next week.
The abuse of power charge stems from Trump's July phone call with the Ukraine president pressuring him to announce an investigation of Democrats as he was withholding US aid. The obstruction charge involves Trump's blocking of House efforts to investigate his actions. Trump has denied wrongdoing.
The vote in the House panel was split along party lines, with 23 Democrats voting in favor and 17 Republicans opposed.
Trump is accused, in the first article, of abusing his presidential power by asking Ukraine to investigate his 2020 rival Joe Biden while holding military aid as leverage, and, in the second, of obstructing Congress by blocking the House's efforts to probe his actions.
Voting came quickly after two days of hearings at the Capitol and a rancorous 14-hour session that was abruptly shut down late Thursday when the Democratic majority refused to be forced, after a long and bitter slog through failed Republican amendments aimed at killing the impeachment charges, into midnight voting. Instead, the impeachment charges against Trump were aired in full view of Americans.
Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., who had said he wanted lawmakers to “search their consciences” before casting their votes, gaveled in the landmark morning session.
Trump took to Twitter early Friday to praise the panel's Republicans, saying “they were fantastic yesterday.”
“The Dems have no case at all, but the unity & sheer brilliance of these Republican warriors, all of them, was a beautiful sight to see,” he tweeted. “Dems had no answers and wanted out!”
The Biden Administration has officially extended a ban on a Trump-era policy that prohibits traveling with a U.S. passport to North Korea. The extension is expected to last until August 2022. The ban was initially enforced after the death of Otto Warmbier, who entered a vegetative state while in North Korean custody. Advocates against the ban argue that it has caused crippling impacts on Korean Americans who have not been able to reunite with their families back home. Senior Fellow at The Foundation For Defense of Democracies Anthony Ruggiero joined Cheddar's News Wrap to discuss more.
There has been a series of violent attacks in Afghanistan in the past week as U.S. troops withdrawal deadline approaches. The evacuation effort is winding down with 1,200 people evacuated in the last 24 hours, compared to last week's 24-hour span high of 21,000, and it is reported that there are around 250 people still waiting to be airlifted.
Dan Lamothe, national security reporter at The Washington Post, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss more on what is going to happen when all evacuation and withdrawal missions are completed.
Futures pointed to a slightly higher open on the heels of Fed Chair Jerome Powell saying the central bank is on track to taper its asset purchases later this year. Milton Ezrati, Chief Economist at Vested joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss.
