Three Democratic congressmen vote against and one abstains
The House of Representatives of the United States has approved this Wednesday in a historic session to open an ‘impeachment’ in the Senate against the president, Donald Trump, who will thus become the third president of the country to face a political trial.
With 230 Democratic votes in favor, 197 against (195 Republicans and two Democrats) and a single abstention, that of Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the charges filed against her for abuse of power have come forward, as reported by the chain of CNN television
The Democrats who have voted ‘no’ have been Collin Peterson and Jeff Van Drew. The latter, who had already shown his opposition to the impeachment process, would be planning to leave the Democrats to go to the Republican Party, according to sources close to the matter.
Shortly after and after a second vote, the House of Representatives has given the green light to the obstruction charges to Congress – which had already been previously approved by the Judicial Commission – with 229 votes in favor and 198 against. The chamber needed a minimum of 216 votes to bring the political trial against Trump to the Senate.
In the latter case, Democratic Congressman Jared Golden, who does vote in favor of the ‘impeachment’ regarding charges of abuse of power, has voted against the political trial in relation to the alleged obstruction to Congress by the leader North American.
Van Drew, Peterson and Golden have revealed their opposition to the political trial since last October. Gabbard, meanwhile, had proposed a resolution to censor Trump as an alternative measure to a possible termination.
The congresswoman, who is a candidate for the primaries of the Democratic Party for the presidential elections scheduled for 2020, has said that her abstention is due to “problems of conscience.”
“I could not vote against the ‘impeachment’ because I believe that President Trump is guilty (…) but I cannot vote in favor because dismissing a president in office should not be the culmination of a partisan process, fueled by tribal animosities that have divided our country so badly, “he explained.
Gabbard is the only congressional presidential candidate, the rest of the members of Congress who are scheduled to run for the Democratic race for the White House are members of the Senate.
In a session that has lasted six hours, the House of Representatives has decided to take the next step and open a political trial in the Senate that could end Trump’s cessation. To succeed would be the first time that a Republican president is disapproved in Congress.
The president of the chamber, Nancy Pelosi, has cast several disapproving glances at the Democratic bench for celebrating and applauding the result of the vote. Pelosi herself had previously urged the congressmen not to give comments of satisfaction on the decision taken by the House of Representatives in case the ‘impeachment’ went ahead.
For Pelosi today is a “great day for the Constitution” but a “sad” one for the country. “I could not be more proud of the courage shown by the Democratic congressmen. We never asked them how they were going to vote today,” she said.
“I see this day, this vote, as something we have done in honor of the vision of the founding fathers of this republic, the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform to defend our democracy and the dreams of our children, who will always live in democracy, “he said.
After a vote that ended at about 9:00 p.m. (local time), the lower house has suspended the session and announced that it will meet again at 9:00 on Thursday.
For his part, the leader of the Republican majority in the United States Senate, Mitch McConnell, has reported in a message through his Twitter account that he will speak this Thursday at 9.30 in the Senate. “I will talk about the precedent set by the Democrats in the House of Representatives when dismissing the president of the United States,” he said.
THE WHITE HOUSE TILDA OF “LAMENTABLE” THE RESULT
The Trump Administration has been quick to react to the results obtained this Wednesday in the vote and has said that it is “one of the most unfortunate political episodes in the history of the nation.”
In a statement, the White House said that “today marks the culmination in the House of Representatives of one of the most unfortunate episodes in American history.” “Without receiving a single Republican vote and without proving that any type of crime is incurred, the Democrats have taken illegitimate charges against the president in the House of Representatives,” the text said.
Thus, the document indicates that the Democrats “have decided to proceed based on a partisan issue despite the fact that the president has done absolutely nothing wrong.” “In fact, the weeks of hearings prove that he did nothing wrong,” said the Government.
In this regard, they have described the ‘impeachment’ as “deception” and have insisted that Trump has been denied a “fair process,” an issue they consider “fundamental.”
“All these antics make it clear that the Democrats have lost sight of what this country needs, which is a Congress that works for the people. Their intentions show a desire to cancel the results of the 2016 elections and incorrectly influence the 2020 elections, “he has riveted.
Trump, who is giving a rally in the state of Michigan, has stressed that “each and every Republican has voted for him” and stressed that “not a single Republican vote has been lost.”
The New York tycoon has taken advantage of the results to emphasize the “unity” of the formation. “The Republican Party has never been so confronted before, but they have never shown as much unity as they have done now,” he celebrated.
In addition, he has argued that it is “unheard of” that some Democrats voted against the ‘impeachment’. “The Democrats have always remained united. Think about it: three Democrats have passed to our side,” he concluded.
FIRST REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT TO BE REPROBATED BY THE LOW CHAMBER
Trump has thus become the first Republican president disapproved by the House of Representatives, given that Richard Nixon (1969-1974) resigned before the process against him by the ‘Watergate’ reached this point.
In general terms, he will be the third president to face a political trial in the Senate, after Democrats Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) and Bill Clinton (1993-2001), who were saved by the ruling majority in the Senate.
During the political trial in the Senate, the head of the Supreme will act as president of the court that will be formed by the senators themselves. To condemn the president, a majority of at least two-thirds is needed.
CHARGES AND POLICY
The Judicial Commission has accused Trump of a charge of abuse of power for pressuring his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodimir Zelenski, to open two investigations that would benefit him for reelection in 2020: one on the alleged corrupts of the Democratic candidate Joe Biden and his Son Hunter in his business in Ukraine and another on “the discredited theory” that it was that country, not Russia, that interfered in the 2016 elections.
