House Democrats plunge into Trump impeachment inquiry – TheNigerialawyer

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had for months resisted calls
inside her party for Trump’s impeachment, announced her decision
after meeting with members of her party on Tuesday.

In a brief, nationally televised statement, Pelosi accused Trump
of seeking Ukraine’s help to smear Democratic presidential
frontrunner Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election.

She described the Republican president’s behavior as a “betrayal
of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and
betrayal of the integrity of our elections.”

Trump fired back quickly on Twitter, calling the inquiry “Witch
Hunt garbage.”

Even if the Democratic-controlled House ultimately voted to
impeach Trump, it is unlikely to lead to his removal from office.
Republicans hold a slim majority in the Senate, where an
impeachment ruling would need a two-thirds majority to pass.

But the process could damage the president’s image as he vies
for re-election, with only about 45% of Americans approving of his
performance as president, especially if damaging information comes
out during public hearings.

It could also boost Trump if Americans believe Democrats are
unfairly targeting the president.

The S&P 500 closed down 0.84% on Tuesday, hurt partly by the
anticipation of Pelosi’s announcement, and Asian shares were weaker
on Wednesday because of the possibility of political uncertainty in
the world’s largest economy. The dollar nursed losses against most
major currencies.

Pelosi’s change of heart followed reports that Trump had
pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July 25
telephone call to investigate Biden, the former U.S. vice
president, and his son Hunter, who had worked for a company
drilling for gas in Ukraine.

Trump has admitted that he discussed Biden and his son in the
call, but denied putting any pressure on the Ukrainian leader
despite his administration’s withholding of nearly $400 million in
military aid approved for Kiev by Congress.

Support from House members for impeachment has surged in recent
days, fueled by anger over the Trump administration’s refusal to
comply with a law requiring the release of a whistleblower’s
complaint over the discussions with Ukraine.

Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth said that when Pelosi mentioned her
phone call with Trump today, she said Trump had told her that “he’d
like to figure this out,” and Pelosi responded to Trump by saying,
“Tell your people to obey the law.”

The U.S. Senate voted unanimously on Tuesday, with no objections
from Trump’s fellow Republicans, for a resolution calling for the
whistleblower’s report to be sent to Congress.

The House is due to vote on a similar non-binding resolution on
Wednesday.

REPUBLICAN SUPPORT
The White House had refused to hand over the whistleblower’s
complaint to Congress but an administration official said late on
Tuesday it was now preparing to release it by the end of the week
and would most likely allow the whistleblower to meet with
congressional investigators.

Trump’s approval among Republicans remains strong. A Sept. 16-20
Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that 82% of registered Republicans
approved of his job performance.

Kevin McCarthy, the party’s leader in the House, accused
Democrats of seeking to overturn the 2016 election. “This is all
about politics. Not about facts,” he said.

Pelosi had considered creating a select committee to lead the
impeachment inquiry, but instead opted to rely on the House
Judiciary, Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and other committees
already conducting probes of the Trump administration.

Those investigations will continue and committee leaders will
decide whether to hold public hearings.

Separately, Trump announced on Twitter on Tuesday that he would
release a transcript of his telephone call with Zelenskiy.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said his panel
was communicating with an attorney representing the whistleblower
and that the individual would like to testify this week.

There will be a burst of hearings this week but lawmakers then
leave Washington for two weeks and will not return until after the
Oct. 14 Columbus Day holiday.