The facts are undisputed, said Nancy Pelosi. The US president has used his power for his own political advantage. The Democratic House spokeswoman announced in Washington that the Democrats want to initiate the impeachment trial of Donald Trump.
"Sadly, but out of conviction and with humility," she asks Jerry Nadler to formulate the so-called Articles of Impeachment against Trump. Nadler chairs the Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives.
What the president has done leaves no other choice, Pelosi said. The president had seriously violated the constitution. "Our democracy is at stake." Trump sees this naturally different.
BREAKING: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asks, "Trump's actions leave no choice." Https://t.co/CiRrCC3fkP pic.twitter.com/IFkQXdSFPN
- CNN (@CNN) December 5, 2019What exactly does the announcement of the Democrats mean? What's next? And how likely is an impeachment? Answers to the most important questions.
What are the Articles of Impeachment?
These are specific charges against the US President, which the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives must formulate and formulate. The Articles of Impeachment are the basis for the plenary session of the Democratic-dominated chamber to vote later on a possible impeachment of the president. However, the actual decision on the impeachment falls in the US Senate, in which Trump's Republicans currently have the majority.
What is Trump accused of?
Democrats in the House of Representatives accuse Trump of pressuring his Ukrainian colleague, Volodymyr Selenskyj, to investigate Trump's Democratic political rival, Joe Biden. They accuse the President, among other things, US military aid to Kiev as a means of pressure. In addition, Trump is said to have made the investigation required by him to the condition that Selenskyj may visit him in the White House.
What have been the hearings on a possible impeachment process so far?
For several weeks, the House Intelligence Committee has questioned several government officials about the Ukraine affair. In its final report, the committee sees the allegations against Trump confirmed.
"The president has put his personal political interests above the national interests of the United States, has sought to undermine the integrity of the US presidential election, and has endangered national security," the report said. The investigation had clearly shown that Trump's misconduct had system and purpose and that it was not isolated cases or the naivety of an inexperienced president.
During a telephone conversation between Trump and Selensky on 25 July 2019, Selenskyj expressed his thanks for the US military's support, the report said. Trump then asked Selenskyj to "do us a favor," and openly urged Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden.
How do experts estimate the evidence?
On Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee had heard four constitutional lawyers. Three of the right-wing professors invited by the Democrats accused Trump of offenses that they considered would justify an impeachment trial. They argued that Trump had used his office to his own advantage, that he was guilty of bribery and hampered Congressional work. A professor of law, invited by Trump's republicans, objected and backed the president.
What are the next steps - what is the schedule?
The Judiciary Committee must formulate the charges against the President, then the House of Representatives votes. Pelosi initially did not comment on either the charges or the schedule. It is speculated that the plenary will formally vote in December and thus officially initiate impeachment proceedings. Then presumably in early 2020 - at the beginning of the election year - there would be a court case in the Senate.
How are the chances?
In the House of Representatives, the Democrats have the majority. Therefore, it is likely that the chamber is correct for the impeachment. However, the final decision on a possible impeachment falls in the Senate. There are Trumps Republicans in the majority. Therefore, it is considered unlikely that Trump will ultimately be convicted and dismissed by the Senate.
What consequences does the step of the Democrats have for the election campaign?
That's hard to predict. According to polls, the population is just as divided as at the beginning of the Ukraine's September. One half of the electorate would like to remove Trump from the White House, the other half is against it.
The question of impeachment could soon be off the table - or dragging through the 2020 presidential campaign. For if the House of Representatives agreed to the impeachment, control of the rest of the process would be transferred to the Republican Senate majority. This could then determine the schedule.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could end everything within a few weeks. He could also drag the matter out with new witness interviews. Even a summons from Joe Biden, one of the promising candidates for the nomination of the Democrats, or his son Hunter would be conceivable.
Has it ever existed - and what was the result?
Prior to Trump, there were only two US presidents, against whom an impeachment procedure was initiated: In 1868 it met Andrew Johnson, the successor of Abraham Lincoln, 1998 Bill Clinton. Both survived the trial because the Senate did not have the necessary two-thirds majority. Richard Nixon, who was involved in the Watergate affair, escaped imminent impeachment in 1974 by his resignation.