On December 18, 2019, President Trump became the third U.S. president to be impeached by the House of Representatives. There were no real surprises, as Democrats hold a majority in the House of Representatives and the vote was largely along party lines. Next, he faces a trial in the Senate in early January. As Republicans hold a majority there, it is expected that he will be acquitted and will not be removed from office. The political implications (or lack thereof) for the President remain to be seen, as he is campaigning for reelection in November 2020.
The two articles of impeachment – abuse of power and obstruction of Congress – stemmed from President Trump’s conversation with President Zelensky of Ukraine, during which the President appeared to urge Mr. Zelensky to initiate an investigation into Hunter Biden, the son of one of Mr. Trump’s political rivals, Joe Biden. Democrats have asserted that President Trump conditioned military aid to Ukraine on President Zelensky’s public announcement of an investigation into the Bidens, and thereafter stymied Congress’s attempts to collect information about the incident by refusing to produce documents or allow witnesses to testify. Ukraine is heavily dependent on the U.S. for military aid during its ongoing conflict with Russia. Republicans have stated that no illegal activity occurred.
