Read President Trump’s letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming only the third American chief executive to be formally charged under the Constitution’s ultimate remedy for high crimes and misdemeanors.
The historic vote split along party lines Wednesday night, much the way it has divided the nation, over a charge that the 45th president abused the power of his office by enlisting a foreign government to investigate a political rival ahead of the 2020 election. The House then approved a second charge, that he obstructed Congress in its investigation.
The articles of impeachment, the political equivalent of an indictment, now go to the Senate for trial. If Trump is acquitted by the Republican-led chamber, as expected, he still would have to run for reelection carrying the enduring stain of impeachment on his purposely disruptive presidency.
Impeachment reactions
“I can’t say that I expected anything less from the hyper-partisan Democrats, but I am very disappointed that they have let their deep-seated animosity towards our President become the hallmark of the Democratic party. They are not a party for the people, they are a party for the politics. Make no mistake, the President did not commit any of the myriad of accusations that they have attempted to accuse him of – from quid pro quo to bribery and obstruction. Democrats have done immense damage to our republic with their vote to baselessly impeach President Trump and I have no doubt history will not reflect kindly on their actions.”- Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn.”Another excuse for Hillary Clinton’s election loss, Quid Pro Joe and Democrats’ socialist agenda. The country is winning under @realDonaldTrump. Distraction!”- Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn.”For the past three years, we have seen Democrats grasp aimlessly at every unsubstantiated claim hoping they would find an impeachable offense. There is a reason the only bipartisan vote in the House today was against impeachment. President Trump has not abused his power – but House Democrats certainly have. This process has been a sham, and when the trial begins in the Senate, Tennesseans can count on me to stand with President Trump.”– Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.”We have enough proof of ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ to send the President’s wrongdoing to the Senate for trial. That’s what the Constitution demands of us.”- Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn.”In 2016, the American people voted to elect Donald Trump the President of the United States. But, for the last three years, politicians in Washington have been working to overturn the will of voters. This partisan process has only pushed Congress, and our country, further down a path of division. I am disappointed in this unnecessary outcome. Our country and our President deserve better. We were elected to work together, not to tear each other down. Tomorrow, the Modernization Committee will vote on recommendations to boost civility and encourage bipartisanship throughout the House. After this disappointing display of extreme partisanship, I am hopeful that we can move forward from this and focus on issues that affect the everyday lives of Americans.”- Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga.”Socialist Democrats have abused their majority power for political reasons to undermine the president and trash the votes of 63 million Americans. It is a dangerous precedent. It is a threat to our Constitution and Republic. The American people ought to punish the Socialist Democrats for this abuse.”- Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala.”In America, nobody is above the law – not even the president of the United States. Trump abused the power of the presidency and he obstructed congress. His actions will be remembered as contemptible in the history books. The blind defense of his actions will badly damage the Republican Party. Today, we got to decide how much bad behavior we would tolerate from those in power. As a member of the Democratic Party, I am proud that we voted to hold accountable those who break the law and those who are determined to protect them at any cost.”- Mary Mancini, chairwoman of the Tennessee Democratic Party