- The House of Representatives voted to approve two articles of impeachment against President Trump, charging him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell denounced the impeachment in a speech from the Senate floor Thursday morning, saying a “slapdash” process had resulted in a “purely partisan impeachment.”
- The process will soon move to the Senate, where Mr. Trump will become the third president in history to face a trial in the upper chamber.
- Download the free CBS News app to stream live impeachment coverage.
Washington — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell harshly criticized House Democrats for voting to impeach President Trump, saying a “slapdash” process had resulted in the “first full partisan impeachment” since Reconstruction.
“The House’s conduct risks deeply damaging the institutions of American government,” McConnell said in a speech from the Senate floor. He said the votes to impeach marked “the predetermined end of a partisan crusade that began before President Trump was even sworn in.”
The House impeached the president on two counts of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in votes Wednesday night, making him just the third president in U.S. history to be impeached.
Lawmakers voted nearly along party lines to approve the articles after lengthy and contentious debate on the House floor that stretched into the night. Just two Democratic members joined all Republicans in voting against the first article, with another Democrat joining the two dissenters on the second. One Democrat voted present on both counts.
The president reacted angrily to the impeachment votes, taking the stage at a rally with supporters in Michigan minutes before the final votes were tallied. He told a raucous crowd that Democrats were embarking on a “political suicide march” and said they “have branded themselves with an eternal mark of shame.”
