House Democrats announced two articles of impeachment Tuesday against President Donald Trump B次元官网网址� abuse of power and obstruction of Congress B次元官网网址� pushing toward historic votes over charges he corrupted the U.S. election process and endangered national security in his dealings with Ukraine.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, flanked by the chairmen of the impeachment inquiry committees, stood at the Capitol for what she called a B次元官网网址渟olemn act.B次元官网网址� Voting is expected in a matter of days in the Judiciary Committee and by Christmas in the full House. Trump insisted he did nothing wrong and his reelection campaign called it B次元官网网址渞ank partisanship.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淗e endangers our democracy; he endangers our national security,B次元官网网址� said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the Judiciary chairman announcing the charges before a portrait of George Washington. B次元官网网址淥ur next election is at risk. B次元官网网址� That is why we must act now.B次元官网网址�

Trump tweeted ahead of the announcement that impeaching a president with a record like his would be B次元官网网址渟heer Political Madness!B次元官网网址�

The outcome, though, appears increasingly set as the House prepares for voting, as it has only three times in history against a U.S. president. Approval of the charges would send them to the Senate in January, where the Republican majority would be unlikely to convict Trump.

Tune in as the House announces its intent to .

B次元官网网址� Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi)

Democratic leaders say Trump put his political interests above those of the nation when he asked Ukraine to investigate his rivals, including Democrat Joe Biden, and then withheld $400 million in military aid as the U.S. ally faced an aggressive Russia. They say he then tried obstructed Congress by stonewalling the House investigation.

In drafting the articles of impeachment, Pelosi faced a legal and political challenge of balancing the views of her majority while hitting the ConstitutionB次元官网网址檚 bar of B次元官网网址渢reason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanours.B次元官网网址�

Some liberal lawmakers wanted more expansive charges encompassing the findings from former special counsel Robert MuellerB次元官网网址檚 probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Centrist Democrats preferred to keep the impeachment articles more focused on TrumpB次元官网网址檚 actions toward Ukraine. House Democrats have announced two articles of impeachment charging President Donald Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

When asked during a Monday evening event if she had enough votes to impeach the Republican president, Pelosi said she would let House lawmakers vote their conscience.

B次元官网网址淥n an issue like this, we donB次元官网网址檛 count the votes. People will just make their voices known on it,B次元官网网址� Pelosi said at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council. B次元官网网址淚 havenB次元官网网址檛 counted votes, nor will I.B次元官网网址�

Nadler just said that I B次元官网网址減ressured Ukraine to interfere in our 2020 Election.B次元官网网址� Ridiculous, and he knows that is not true. Both the President & Foreign Minister of Ukraine said, many times, that there B次元官网网址淲AS NO PRESSURE.B次元官网网址� Nadler and the Dems know this, but refuse to acknowledge!

B次元官网网址� Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

Trump, who has declined to mount a defence in the actual House hearings, tweeted Tuesday just as the six Democratic House committee chairmen prepared to make their announcement.

B次元官网网址淭o Impeach a President who has proven through results, including producing perhaps the strongest economy in our countryB次元官网网址檚 history, to have one of the most successful presidencies ever, and most importantly, who has done NOTHING wrong, is sheer Political Madness! #2020Election,B次元官网网址� he wrote on Twitter.

The president also spent part of Monday tweeting against the impeachment proceedings. He and his allies have called the process B次元官网网址渁bsurd.B次元官网网址�

The next steps emerged in the swiftly moving proceedings as Pelosi convened a meeting of the impeachment committee chairmen at her office in the Capitol late Monday following an acrimonious, nearly 10-hour hearing at the Judiciary Committee, which could vote as soon as this week.

B次元官网网址淚 think thereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of agreement,B次元官网网址� Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the Democratic chairman of the Foreign Affairs committee, told reporters as he exited PelosiB次元官网网址檚 office. B次元官网网址淎 lot of us believe that what happened with Ukraine especially is not something we can just close our eyes to.B次元官网网址�

READ MORE:

At the Judiciary hearing, Democrats said TrumpB次元官网网址檚 push to have Ukraine investigate rival Joe Biden while withholding U.S. military aid ran counter to U.S. policy and benefited Russia as well as himself.

B次元官网网址淧resident TrumpB次元官网网址檚 persistent and continuing effort to coerce a foreign country to help him cheat to win an election is a clear and present danger to our free and fair elections and to our national security,B次元官网网址� said Dan Goldman, the director of investigations at the House Intelligence Committee, presenting the finding of the panelB次元官网网址檚 300-page report of the inquiry.

Republicans rejected not just GoldmanB次元官网网址檚 conclusion of the Ukraine matter; they also questioned his very appearance before the Judiciary panel. In a series of heated exchanges, they said Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, should appear rather than sending his lawyer.

From the White House, Trump tweeted repeatedly, assailing the B次元官网网址淲itch Hunt!B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淒o Nothing Democrats.B次元官网网址�

In drafting the articles of impeachment, Pelosi is facing a legal and political challenge of balancing the views of her majority while hitting the ConstitutionB次元官网网址檚 bar of B次元官网网址渢reason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanours.B次元官网网址�

Some liberal lawmakers wanted more expansive charges encompassing the findings from former special counsel Robert MuellerB次元官网网址檚 probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Centrist Democrats preferred to keep the impeachment articles more focused on TrumpB次元官网网址檚 actions toward Ukraine.

VIDEO:

Nadler was blunt as he opened MondayB次元官网网址檚 hearing, saying, B次元官网网址淧resident Trump put himself before country.B次元官网网址�

TrumpB次元官网网址檚 conduct, Nadler said at the end of the daylong hearing, B次元官网网址渋s clearly impeachable.B次元官网网址�

Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, the top Republican on the committee, said Democrats are racing to jam impeachment through on a B次元官网网址渃lock and a calendarB次元官网网址� ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

B次元官网网址淭hey canB次元官网网址檛 get over the fact that Donald Trump is the president of the United States, and they donB次元官网网址檛 have a candidate that can beat him,B次元官网网址� Collins said.

In one testy exchange, Republican attorney Stephen Castor dismissed the transcript of TrumpB次元官网网址檚 crucial call with Ukraine as B次元官网网址渆ight ambiguous linesB次元官网网址� that did not amount to the president seeking a personal political favour.

Democrats argued vigorously that TrumpB次元官网网址檚 meaning could not have been clearer in seeking political dirt on Biden, his possible opponent in the 2020 election.

The Republicans tried numerous times to halt or slow the proceedings, and the hearing was briefly interrupted early on by a protester shouting, B次元官网网址淲e voted for Donald Trump!B次元官网网址� The protester was escorted from the House hearing room by Capitol Police.

The White House is refusing to participate in the impeachment process. Trump and and his allies acknowledge he likely will be impeached in the Democratic-controlled House, but they also expect acquittal next year in the Senate, where Republicans have the majority.

The president focused Monday on the long-awaited release of the Justice Department report into the 2016 Russia investigation. The inspector general found that the FBI was justified in opening its investigation into ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia and that the FBI did not act with political bias, despite B次元官网网址渟erious performance failuresB次元官网网址� up the bureauB次元官网网址檚 chain of command.

Democrats say Trump abused his power in a July 25 phone call when he asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for a favour in investigating Democrats. That was bribery, they say, since Trump was withholding nearly $400 million in military aid that Ukraine depended on to counter Russian aggression.

Pelosi and Democrats point to what they call a pattern of misconduct by Trump in seeking foreign interference in elections from MuellerB次元官网网址檚 inquiry of the Russia probe to Ukraine.

In his report, Mueller said he could not determine that TrumpB次元官网网址檚 campaign conspired or co-ordinated with Russia in the 2016 election. But Mueller said he could not exonerate Trump of obstructing justice in the probe and left it for Congress to determine.

___

Associated Press writers Julie Pace, Laurie Kellman, Matthew Daly and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

Lisa Mascaro And Mary Clare Jalonick, The Associated Press

Like us on and follow us on .