Published 10:56 IST, December 17th 2019
Trump likely to become third United States President to be impeached
The US Prez Trump is likely to become the third president to be impeached as he faces a charge of abusing power by allegedly asking Ukraine to investigate Biden
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The United States President Donald Trump is likely to become the third President to be impeached as he faces a charge of abusing power by allegedly asking Ukraine to investigate Biden, a leading Democratic contender to oppose him in the 2020 presidential election. According to international media reports, the House will be taking up impeachment on December 18, setting the stage for a vote on whether to approve the charges and send the matter to the Republic-led Senate to hold a trial. President Trump, however, has denied all the wrongdoing and accused the Democrats of a 'baseless' and 'politically-motivated' bid to oust him from power.
According to reports, no United States President has been removed as a direct result of impeachment. In 1974, Richard Nixon resigned before he could be removed, while Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were impeached by the house but not convicted by the Senate. In the case of Trump, the Democrats have accused the President of endangering the US constitution, jeopardizing national security and undermining the integrity of next year's presidential election. They also argue that impeachment is an urgent necessity because Trump has continued his alleged misconduct, endangering the integrity of the 2020 election. However, Republicans have defended Trump and accused Democrats of a partisan effort aimed at overturning his upset 2016 victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump has further also called the entire impeachment drive a sham.
Democrats approach Republicans
The senior Democrats in the United States House of Representatives reportedly also approached the Republicans on Sunday, urged them to put aside their Party stance and vote in the favour of US President Donald Trump's impeachment. Democrats are now seeking the support of the Republicans as they only have 47 seats in the 100-seat Senate. The House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said in an interview with international media that Trump poses 'a clear and present danger'. It has also been reportedly speculated that since the charges will now be presented for a vote in the Republican-controlled US Senate, Trump is likely to still escape his impeachment.
10:45 IST, December 17th 2019