House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday asked the House Judiciary Committee to proceed with articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.
“The president’s actions have seriously violated the Constitution,” Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement to reporters on Capitol Hill.
He “leaves us no choice but to act,” she said.
Pelosi spoke for about six minutes. She took no questions.
House Democrats are in the midst of an inquiry into whether Trump abused his power by withholding military aid to Ukraine in exchange for that country announcing investigations for his own political benefit and at the expense of U.S. interests.
Pelosi’s comments confirm what was widely expected: that the Democrat-controlled House will vote on whether to impeach the president.
“Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders, and our heart full of love for America, today I am asking our chairmen to proceed with the articles of impeachment,” she said.
Minutes after Pelosi concluded her remarks, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a tweet that “We look forward to a fair trial in the Senate.”
The Judiciary Committee, led by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., will be responsible for drafting specific articles of impeachment. On Wednesday, Nadler’s committee held a public hearing with four legal scholars who discussed whether Trump’s efforts toward Ukraine met the constitutional bar for impeachment.
Trump bashed that proceeding in a pair of tweets prior to Pelosi’s remarks Thursday morning.
“The Do Nothing Democrats had a historically bad day yesterday in the House. They have no Impeachment case and are demeaning our Country. But nothing matters to them, they have gone crazy,” he tweeted.
Trump added the Republican-led Senate will call Pelosi to testify, along with former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, whom Trump asked Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to “look into” in a July 25 phone call that helped spark the impeachment probe.
The president also claimed that House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who led weeks of private and public impeachment hearings with fact witnesses, will be called to appear in the Senate trial.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
— CNBC’s Yelena Dzhanova contributed to this report.
