President Donald Trump is now almost certain to become the third president in U.S. history to be impeached by the House of Representatives.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a press conference on Thursday that she is formally asking the House Judiciary Committee to draft articles of impeachment against Trump over his actions toward Ukraine, saying "the president leaves us no choice but to act."
The Trump re-election campaign said in a statement: “We are less than a year away from Election Day 2020 and Democrats can’t possibly explain to the American people why they want to take the decision of who should be president out of the hands of voters," adding that Democrats "should just get on with it so we can have a fair trial in the Senate and expose The Swamp for what it is."
Pelosi, who earlier this year had counseled her caucus against impeaching the president over obstruction of justice allegations related to the Russia investigation, now says that the evidence and witness testimony from weeks of impeachment hearings are "uncontested."
"The president abused his power for his own personal, political benefit" and "seriously violated the Constitution," she said.
The announcement means that it is now increasingly likely that articles of impeachment will be drafted and voted on before the House leaves for its end-of-the-year recess, as some Democrats had previously indicated, with a Senate trial possible in the beginning of 2020.
Israel and Hamas agreed to extend their cease-fire for two more days past Monday, the Qatari government said, bringing the prospect of a longer halt to their deadliest and most destructive war and further exchanges of militant-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
A four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war has taken effect, setting the stage for the exchange of dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
A group of Lahaina wildfire survivors is vowing to camp on a popular resort beach until the mayor uses his emergency powers to shut down unpermitted vacation rentals and make the properties available for residents in desperate need of housing.
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan is calling on the assistant U.S. attorney for Delaware, Lesley Wolf, to appear before the committee by Dec. 7 to respond to allegations that she interfered in the yearslong case into the president’s son.
Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement for a four-day halt to the devastating war in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held by the militant group as well as Palestinian prisoners.
