Democratic Party opening in the US Congress the process of political trial against Donald Trump

Donald Trump

The House of Representatives investigates whether the US president pressured Ukraine to defame his political rival, former vice president Joe Biden. The president denied the accusations and ordered to spread the complete transcript of the conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskiy

The Democratic president of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, announced Tuesday the opening of an investigation that constitutes the first phase of a impeachment process against President Donald Trump. "The actions of the Trump presidency revealed the dishonorable acts of betrayal by the president to his oath of office, the betrayal of our national security and the betrayal of the integrity of our elections," said Pelosi, announcing the start of the procedure.

Democrats suspect that Trump pressured Zelenskiy to investigate the Biden family, which had interests in that country, using the military aid the United States provides to Ukraine as a pressure measure. If true, this would constitute a serious abuse of power, since the president of the United States would have used his functions to obtain a personal benefit. Trump calls "ridiculous" statements about an eventual impeachment process and accuses Democrats of brandishing this possibility for purely political purposes.

“The president must be accountable. No one is above the law, ”said Pelosi, who for months had been reluctant to try to judge Trump.

According to US media estimates, 158 of the 235 Democratic legislators in the lower house have already made public their support for a possible process of political trial, known in the US as "impeachment."

The Democratic leader needs to have 218, the simple majority, of the House of Representatives to start the procedure. However, the Republican majority in the Senate, which must also approve it, assumes that the initiative would not succeed.

Several Democratic candidates for the White House nomination in 2020, competing for the nomination with Biden, have reiterated that it is time to open a political trial against Trump, as is the case with Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris.

The diffusion of transcripts

From New York, Trump modified his first version, in which he denied that he blocked funds for Ukraine, and confirmed on Tuesday that he did so temporarily to force European countries, such as France and Germany, to provide more funds to Kiev.

"I am currently in the United Nations representing our country, but I have authorized the publication tomorrow of the complete transcript, totally declassified and unwritten from my telephone conversation with President Zelenski of Ukraine," he wrote.

In a series of messages on his Twitter social network account, Trump has argued that "it can be seen that it is a very friendly and totally appropriate call." "There was no pressure and, unlike Joe Biden and his son, there was no 'quid pro quo'," he stressed.

"This is nothing more than a continuation of the greatest and most destructive witch hunt of all time," said the president of the United States. “The Democrats are so focused on harming the Republican Party and the president that they are unable to do anything because of it, including gun control legislation, lowering the prices of prescription drugs, infrastructure, etc. This is very bad for our country, ”he said.

Nancy Pelosi Presidenta del Congreso

The pressure on the Ukrainian authorities to investigate the son of his democratic rival Joe Biden, trigger of the historic decision “The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law, ”said the president of the lower house, Democrat Nancy Pelosi

With the solemnity of historical occasions, the president of the House of Representatives of Congress, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, has addressed the nation this evening (eleven o'clock at night in Spain) to announce a dramatic decision to which until now He had resisted with all his soul: the opening of an investigation to begin the impeachment or impeachment proceedings of the president.

“The president must be accountable. No one is above the law, ”Pelosi defended from the Capitol after accusing Trump of violating the law and missing his oath of allegiance to the Constitution by using his powers to pressure a foreign government, Ukraine, to investigate an adversary. politician (Joe Biden). "USA. he faces a very serious moment, ”Pelosi emphasized passionately, trying to conquer public opinion for the cause. They will need them when in 14 months they face the polls: a poll published this week by Politico indicates that only 37% of Americans are in favor of the impeachment of the president, hence many Democrats would advise against it so as not to further divide the country. "Harass the president!" Trump claimed on Twitter from New York, where he participates in the United Nations General Assembly.

The procedure can theoretically end the president's dismissal but in Trump's case the lack of support in the Senate, in Republican hands, makes this outcome highly unlikely. Regardless of the final outcome, however, in a matter of days and in some cases hours, the Democrats have come to the conclusion that they cannot cross their arms at what they consider to be continued abuses of power by the president.

Pelosi has decided to move file after verifying that an increasing number of congressmen was positioned in favor of impeachment, outraged by the seriousness of the facts that are imputed to the president and that his own lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, has openly acknowledged. "If they are true, we believe they are offenses that deserve an impeachment," seven Democrats with a centrist profile and experience in the military or intelligence services, some elected in districts who voted for Trump in 2016, wrote yesterday in a press gallery.

Pelosi accuses Trump of violating the law and missing his oath of the Constitution with his maneuvers with Ukraine

It was the signal that the tide was changing within the Democratic ranks. The speaker spent the day meeting with congressmen of the different committees, contacts that convinced her that the risks of being crossed arms are greater than those of acting, although until now the argument had to prevail that should be removed from the White House to Trump through the polls, not a political trial. "The retaining walls have given way because what we are attending is a form of betrayal of his presidential oath and national security," said Congressman Jamie Raskin. “Trump is no longer a mere candidate. He is the president".

Two hours before the intervention of Pelosi, the president had announced that he will declassify the transcription of his call last July 25 to the Ukrainian president the comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, newly elected. Trump is convinced that spreading the conversation will exonerate him. The White House says it never conditioned the release of $ 391 million in aid to Ukraine for the government to inquire about the business activities of Joe Biden's son in the country.

Trump's version of the reasons why the payment of that money was suspended for two months has varied over the last few hours. On Monday, he said they decided to put him on hold because of corruption problems in Ukraine. Yesterday he attributed the decision to his malaise with Europe because he does not invest enough in the stabilization of the country. In any case, the president says, he did not do it to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate the Biden. The aid was finally released on September 11.

Trump's admission that he spoke with Zelensky about Biden "changed everything," was "a sad day for the United States," Pelosi said. The incident came to light following an anonymous complaint filed by a member of the intelligence services to the Inspector General, who considered it serious and credible. In defiance of internal regulations, the Trump Administration has refused to provide Congress with the content of that complaint, thereby increasing distrust and anger among Democrats and especially the president of the House of Representatives.

The decision of Pelosi implies the opening of an investigation that will act as an umbrella of the investigations already opened in six commissions of the House (lower house), which may present motions for resolution to dismiss the president if the plenary session decides low camera. The decision would then go to the Senate, where Republicans have a majority and the impeachment lacks support beyond the Democratic ranks.

Pelosi's initiative has not pleased Democrats who have long advocated the president's impachment for other reasons. "It makes no sense to create a new committee," said researcher Pramila Jayapal. "What is needed is speed, efficiency, move this quickly", so it would be more useful to do it from the work that has already been developed by the Judicial Affairs Committee, which last week began work on setting the rules of a hypothetical impeachment

In the entire history of the United States, Congress has only formally initiated the impeachment proceedings for two presidents, Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton 1998; they went ahead in the House but neither was convicted by the Senate. In 1974 Richard Nixon resigned just before the procedure opened in response to the Watergate scandal, fearful of the outcome of the political trial.