House Democratic leadership passed up the opportunity to include broader areas of presidential misconduct. But the two articles of impeachment can presumably command the support of all but a handful of House Democrats
House Democrat leaders move ahead with two articles of impeachment. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Just as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is said to have been inclined to do ever since she formally announced impeachment proceedings in September, the House Democratic leadership announced two proposed articles of impeachment on Tuesday, both arising from President Trump’s misconduct in asking Ukraine’s president to help him with the “favor” of dropping a hammer on 2020 rival Joe Biden.
The press conference announcing this choice of articles was mostly devoted to conveying the appropriate degree of solemnity, with five committee chairs that have been involved in investigating the president joining Pelosi in front of a portrait of George Washington and no less than four American flags, and the Judiciary Committee’s Jerrold Nadler breaking the key news.
The narrow basis of these articles of impeachment will not, of course, reduce the fury they will engender from the administration and its congressional defenders. It’s already clear that one of the original rationales for keeping it simple – that it might help pull a significant number of Republicans across the line – has failed.
Now obviously those Democrats and progressive media folk who favored impeachment long before the Ukraine scandal came to light are not going to be happy with articles confined to that scandal and the obstruction of Congress it occasioned. Some will argue that by implication the House leadership’s approach excuses the president’s many other high crimes and misdemeanors.
In any event, the die is cast and it appears the Judiciary Committee will briefly debate and then report them to the full House on a strict party-line vote by the end of this week. That will give Democrats a week to formally impeach Trump before breaking for Christmas , and handing off impeachment to the Senate for a trial beginning in January.
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