US House of Representatives supports Trump impeachment inquiry
The US House of Representatives has passed a resolution allowing the Trump impeachment inquiry to be conducted in public. The Speaker of the House of Representatives noted the importance of the resolution in providing the American people with access to transparent information.
For the first time since the start of the investigation into the possible impeachment of Donald Trump, the US House of Representatives has supported the investigation in a resolution.
232 votes in favor and 196 votes against. Thus, the majority of the US House of Representatives, which are Democrats, approved a resolution on Thursday, October 31, which includes rules for conducting investigations, including the possibility of holding hearings in public. Republican representatives opposed the resolution.
The House vote was on whether to begin the impeachment process against the US president. This process can begin after the investigation is complete and when representatives conclude that they have sufficient evidence to prove serious misconduct by Trump.
Thursday's vote was an important test of the political climate, especially for Democrats, in the current tense domestic political climate. The move will take the investigation to a new level, as questioning of witnesses will no longer be held behind closed doors.
In response to the House of Representatives vote, Trump tweeted that this was "the greatest persecution and persecution in American history."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said the House would take the next step after passing the resolution. Pelosi said the rules would bring transparency and clarity, and that the public would now be able to see for themselves what witnesses were saying.
Pelosi stressed that the impeachment inquiry into President Trump is a serious matter and not a cause for celebration for Democrats. She said that "today is a sad day" and that the country's democracy is at risk.
On Thursday, the Washington Post and the New York Times reported that former White House national security adviser John Bolton has been formally invited by Democratic representatives of the US Congress to answer questions from lawmakers regarding the investigation into the impeachment of Donald Trump. The Democratic representatives are said to have asked the former White House national security adviser to appear before Congress on November 7 and answer their questions.
Democratic politicians accuse Trump of abusing his position to pressure the Ukrainian government to interfere in the US election campaign in his favor. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced at the end of September that Democrats want to launch an impeachment inquiry into the president for this reason.
In a July 25 phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump asked him to cooperate with Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani in the case of Hunter Biden, the son of Joe Biden (his main election rival). The aim of this cooperation was to damage the reputation of Trump's rival, Joe Biden, in the upcoming US elections. Trump had conditioned the release of $400 million in US aid to Ukraine on Zelensky's cooperation.
Joe Biden is one of the most important and likely candidates for the Democratic Party of America to run in the 2020 US presidential election. Trump wants to run again in the upcoming election as the Republican Party's nominee.
For weeks, investigations into Trump have been underway in several committees affiliated with the US House of Representatives. Despite the White House's full opposition, these committees have been investigating high-ranking representatives of the administration behind closed doors and have concluded that Trump's statements about the "Ukraine affair" differed in some respects from what these representatives said.
The resolution passed by the US House of Representatives on Thursday sets out rules for how the investigation will proceed, including allowing the House Intelligence Committee to call witnesses for public question-and-answer sessions.
It is also planned to prepare a report to be submitted to the Judiciary Committee at the end of the investigation. The resolution also includes rules regarding the rights of Democratic and Republican members of the investigative committee when calling and questioning witnesses.
Republican representatives in the House have strongly criticized Democrats for passing the resolution.
The decision on the possible removal of the president in the United States is made in the Senate of this country. In the US Senate, Republicans hold a majority of seats. It is unlikely that the US Senate will vote to remove Trump. No US president has ever left office in this way.
The White House, in response to the recognition of the impeachment inquiry into Trump, released a statement on Thursday night, exonerating the US President and calling the impeachment process "illegal" and causing harm to the people.
Source: DW
