US Democrats unveil two formal charges against Trump

Announcing the two charges, House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler said they amounted to high crimes and treason and Trump violated his oath of office to protect the Constitution when he wanted Ukraine to investigate former Vice-President Joe Biden and his son Hunter for his electoral benefit.

New York: In a historic move, Democrats announced on Tuesday two scaled-down impeachment charges accusing President Donald Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress stressing risks to next year's election.

But the Democrats handed Trump a political victory an hour after announcing the impeachment charges when Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that her party would support a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico that Trump had made a key election promise.

Announcing the two charges, House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler said they amounted to high crimes and treason and Trump violated his oath of office to protect the Constitution when he wanted Ukraine to investigate former Vice-President Joe Biden and his son Hunter for his electoral benefit.

Trump called the impeachment sheer political madness.

From left House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee Maxine Waters, D-Calif., Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Adam Schiff, D-Calif., unveil articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Tuesday.

The new trade agreement which will require Congress's approval will replace the earlier agreement reached during Democrat Bill Clinton's presidency known as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Democrats had initially attacked Trump's attempt to alter NAFTA.

A rare case of Republicans and Democrats negotiating successfully despite the divide, Trump can claim that the new agreement will help his base of workers because of globalization and farmers.

Copy of the Articles of Impeachment, on Tuesday.

Although bribery, extortion, obstruction of justice and even treason had been talked about by Democrats during the impeachment inquiry, these don't find a place in the impeachment charges which were narrowed apparently to what they believe they have a strong case for.

After the entire Democrat-controlled House of Representatives votes on the Articles of Impeachment with these two accusations next week, the charge-sheet will be sent to the Republican-controlled Senate for a formal trial, presided over by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

The impeachment process with high drama on and off camera will end up with no real action against Trump serving only as a campaign mechanism for the Democrats and a catharsis for the pent up anger against Trump.

Only two presidents, Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 2018, have been impeached before, but both were acquitted by the Senate.

From left, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif., House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chair Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., announce they are pushing ahead with two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — charging he corrupted the U.S. election process and endangered national security in his dealings with Ukraine at the Capitol in Washington, on Tuesday.

Richard Nixon resigned in the middle of the impeachment process.

Speaking before him at the first news conference Pelosi said the impeachment was a solemn duty of Congress and it had to act because the 2020 election was at risk of foreign interference.

"When Trump betrays the public trust and puts himself before country, he endangers the Constitution, he endangers our democracy, and he endangers our national security," she said.

Nadler said Trump used public office for private benefit by asking a foreign country to investigate his political rival, risking national security by withholding military aid worth about $400 million when Ukraine was facing threats from Russia.

It amounted to an abuse of power and blocking the release of documents and testimonies by officials requested by the House inquiries was obstruction of justice, Nadler said.

The Democrats were gearing up for impeachment from the very day of Trump's election and pinned their hope on proving he colluded with the Russians. But the inquiry by Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no such collusion dashing Democrat hopes.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, right, speaks with from left Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee Maxine Waters, D-Calif., second from right, during a news conference to unveil articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, on Tuesday.

Trump's phone call to newly elected Ukraine President Volodymyr in which he asked for investigations into the Bidens as a favour was picked up by the Democrats.

Since Biden is the front-runner for Democratic Party nomination to run against Trump, Democrats say this amounts to getting a foreign government involved in the 2020 election.

Biden's son who was removed from the navy amid drug allegations and has no experience in the energy business was given a directorship in a Ukraine gas company with a monthly payment of $83,000 and then Vice-President intervened to have a prosecutor looking into the company fired.

Biden has said he had the prosecutor fired because he was corrupt.

The impeachment drama unfolds between a deeply polarised nation where support for impeachment has only a 4 per cent lead.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks to reporters after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced earlier that the House is moving forward to draft articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the Capitol in Washington, on Thursday.

While the overwhelming majority of the Democrat Representatives were for impeachment, some who come from the constituencies that had historically been pro-Republican were concerned that impeaching him may affect them politically.

This was another reason for Pelosi and Nadler to narrow the charges against Trump.

The support for the new US-Canada-Mexico trade deal is an attempt by the Democrat leadership to show that the party also backs what it considers positive steps to help workers and trade, even if it is initiated by Trump who can claim a victory.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., left, and House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif., join other committee chairs to announce they are pushing ahead with two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — charging he corrupted the U.S. election process and endangered national security in his dealings with Ukraine at the Capitol in Washington, on Tuesday.

The new agreement known as US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will enhance the terms of trade in the US favour in some respects while tightening labour and environment laws, allowing cheaper pharmaceuticals into the US and ensuring enforcement of the deal.

Republicans who complained that their demands for calling witnesses and on procedures were blocked by Democrats during the impeachment process will now be able to have their way in Congress.