The House of Representatives has voted to impeach the 45th president of the United States almost entirely on partisan lines. Culminating with the president’s impeachment, lawmakers spent the day re-hashing arguments about the historical significance of today’s proceedings with Republicans calling the impeachment a sham and Democrats calling it necessary.
Trump has been impeached on both counts brought to the House: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The first count passed 230 to 197 and the second count passed 228 to 198. The House Judiciary Committee approved the two articles along party lines last week after months of closed door depositions and weeks of public hearings. Before voting on the two articles of impeachment Wednesday, the House voted to affirm the rules set forth by the House a day earlier and then debated for six hours.
Throughout those hours, lawmakers piled onto respective party narratives. Democrats steadfastly argued the president had acted against the U.S. Constitution and “gave us no choice,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. Republicans maintained the Democrats had been out to get the president since he was elected.
Wednesday marks the third time a sitting president has been impeached. To date, no president has been removed from office. Two presidents-Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1999-were acquitted in the Senate. Richard Nixon resigned during the impeachment process.
Next, the president’s case will move to the Senate for a trial. He has been charged with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress with regards to his dealings with Ukraine. Democrats have accused him of pressuring Ukraine to help investigate political rivals including former Vice President Joe Biden. Before today’s vote, Democrat Jeff Van Drew had said he would vote against impeachment and is considering whether to switch parties. A group of moderate Democrats, including Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich. 8th District), said they would vote to impeach the president, although there are concerns it could cost them their seats.
Despite the overwhelming majority voting for impeachment Wednesday in the Democrat-led House, the president is expected to be acquitted in the Senate, where Republicans hold a majority.
The U.S. Constitution gives the Senate “sole power to try all impeachments,” which means the Senate can alter and change rules as it goes. Generally, the prosecution uses “impeachment managers” from the House to present evidence and the president’s defense team presents arguments and witnesses.
LAWMAKERS DEBATE
House lawmakers cast votes after a day of debate, in which clear partisanship began almost immediately. The first Republican objection came from Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz. 5th District) two minutes after the hearing was gaveled to a start.
Once lawmakers voted to approve rules to govern the six hours of debate, Pelosi began the proceedings.
“Today, as speaker of the House, I solemnly and sadly open up the debate on the impeachment of the President of the United States,” Pelosi began. “If we do not act now, we would be derelict in our duty. It is tragic that the president’s reckless actions make impeachment necessary. He gave us no choice.” She was met with a standing ovation from her party.
Many Democratic lawmakers referenced the oath government officials take upon entrance into Congress, in which each member swears to “protect and defend” the Constitution.
“I rise today to protect our democracy,” freshman Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass. 7th District) said. “What we’re doing here is not only patriotic, but also uniquely American.”
The House’s sole independent Rep. Justin Amash, (I-Mich. 3rd District) who left the Republican party this year when he said he supported impeachment said “Impeachment is about maintaining the integrity of the office of the presidency...It is our duty to impeach him.”
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga. 5th District), who fought for civil rights alongside Martin Luther King Jr. said “For some, this vote may be hard. But we have a mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history.”
Republicans argued the process was unfair and the evidence was lacking, despite sworn testimony that Democrats believe offered proof. The House Intelligence Committee conducted interviews with government officials, some of whom were appointed by the president, whose testimony directly connected the president with events in Ukraine. Democrats reminded Republicans of Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s testimony in which he stated the president held up critical security aid for political favors. “Was there a quid pro quo? As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.”
“With no crime, no victim, no evidence, no proof...this impeachment charade follows no rules,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla. 1st District) said as the hearing entered its ninth hour.
“This day is about one thing and one thing only. They hate the president. They hate those of us who voted for him. They think we are stupid. They think we made a mistake. They think Hillary Clinton should be the president and they want to fix that,” Chris Stewart (R-Utah 2nd District) said. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y. 10th District) responded to Stewart by saying if the president was removed from office, Vice President Mike Pence would assume his position, not Clinton.
SENATORS SPARRING AHEAD OF TRIAL
Democrats had hoped to call some witnesses during the Senate trial that the president had blocked from testifying in the House proceedings (part of what Democrats allege constitute the obstruction charge). However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rejected the request.
“It’s not the Senate’s job to leap into the breach and search desperately for ways to get to ‘guilty,” McConnell said to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s request to call those officials, such as acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security advisor John Bolton. Schumer told the Washington Post “You know, when you don’t have the facts, when you’re afraid to argue why these witnesses shouldn’t be here, you look for one diversion or another.”
During Bill Clinton’s impeachment, which was thought to be a partisan proceeding, the Senate leaders at the time created a bipartisan proposal for setting parameters of the trial, which was agreed to unanimously.
PRESIDENT TRUMP WEIGHED IN
Before the House began deliberations Trump denounced what he described as a “partisan impeachment crusade." He called the abuse of power charge “completely disingenuous,” and the obstruction of Congress charge “preposterous and dangerous.”
During Wednesday’s debate, the White House handed out Christmas cards, which included the six-page note the President wrote to Pelosi.
