Pelosi Launches Formal Trump Impeachment Inquiry

Courtesy of Creative Commons

09/24/19 By Kayla LaRosa

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has launched a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

“The actions of the Trump presidency revealed the dishonorable fact of the President’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections,” Pelosi said in a speech at the Capitol. “Therefore, today, I am announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry.”

Pelosi has previously resisted pressures from progressive lawmakers to move forward with formal impeachment proceedings. However, Democrats have appeared to reach a breaking point after President Trump admitted to discussing information about former Vice President Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden, while on the phone with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The phone call is part of the whistleblower’s complaint; however, the Trump administration blocked Congress from getting the details of the report, citing presidential privilege. Since then, the President addressed the contents of the phone call in a tweet.

“I am currently at the United Nations representing our Country, but have authorized the release tomorrow of the complete, fully declassified and unredacted transcript of my phone conversation with President Zelensky of Ukraine….”

Pelosi said the House Judiciary Committee, led by Chairman Jerry Nadler, will lead he impeachment proceedings. Pelosi reportedly told the leaders of the six house committees to determine their best cases for impeachment.

Democratic lawmakers from all over the country have announced their support of the impeachment proceedings, including Rep. John Lewis, who delivered a speech to the House floor Tuesday.

“We cannot delay. We must not wait. Now is the time to act. I have been patient while we tried every other path and used every other tool. We will never find the truth unless we use the power given to the House of Representatives and the House alone to begin an official investigation as dictated by the Constitution. The future of our democracy is at stake,” Lewis said.

Local Massachusetts leaders have also reacted to the announcement, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who tweeted, “no one is above the law, not even the President of the United States.”