The U.S. House of Representatives moved closer on Thursday to the impeachment of Republican President Donald Trump, as a committee considered formal charges against him that are likely to be sent to the House for a final vote next week.
The House Judiciary Committee is expected to approve two articles of impeachment later on Thursday, which will allow a vote by the Democratic-controlled House next week that is expected to make Trump the third president in U.S. history to be impeached.
If the House impeaches Trump, who is charged with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, the matter would go to the Senate for a trial. The Republican-led chamber is unlikely to vote to remove Trump from office.
At the start of what could be a long day of partisan wrangling, Republicans on the Judiciary panel repeatedly complained about the procedures followed by Democrats in the impeachment inquiry.
Republicans requested another hearing and said their rights had been trampled in the inquiry, but were voted down by the panel’s Democratic majority.
“Rules have just been thrown out the window in this process,” said Republican U.S. Representative Debbie Lesko. “It continues to amaze me how corrupt, how unfair this process has been from the start.”
Democrats noted that Republicans were not addressing the substance of the charges against Trump.
“Let us dispense with these process arguments and get to the substance of why we are here today,” Democratic Representative Joe Neguse said.
Democrats accuse Trump of abusing his power by trying to force Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden and of obstructing Congress when lawmakers tried to look into the matter. Former Vice President Biden is a leading contender for the Democratic nomination to run against Trump next year.
Trump has denied wrongdoing and condemned the impeachment inquiry as a hoax.
“No crime!” Trump wrote on Twitter early Thursday.
Republicans on the Judiciary Committee accused Democrats of overplaying their hand by accusing Trump of the crimes of bribery and extortion in the media and then pulling back.
“Whatever happened to quid pro quo, extortion and bribery?” said Representative John Ratcliffe. “The Democrats have been telling us it was clear, the facts were undisputed, the evidence was overwhelming. Except it wasn’t any of those things and now it’s all gone.”
Democrats chided Republicans for their loyalty to Trump.
“Wake up! Stop thinking about running for re-election,” said Representative David Cicilline.
“Stop worrying about being primaried. Stop deflecting and distracting and treating those you represent as if they don’t see what’s going on, like they’re not smart enough to realize that you are willfully ignoring the facts to protect a corrupt and dangerous president.”
A Senate trial is expected next month on the charges. Senior Republicans in the chamber appeared to be moving toward a consensus that a streamlined proceeding with no witnesses would allow Trump and the Senate to end the matter and quickly move on.
Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, said on Wednesday no decision had yet been made over how to conduct the trial.
Democrats sought to simplify the public case against Trump by not including other contentious aspects of Trump‘s tenure, such as his efforts to impede former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. Democratic lawmakers from more conservative districts had argued the focus should stay on Ukraine.
Still, while the Judiciary Committee is likely to approve the articles, several Democrats in swing districts remain unsure how they will vote on impeachment, although with a 36-seat Democratic lead over Republicans in the House, passage is expected.
Trump and Republicans have tried to use the issue as way to attack Democratic presidential candidates and those vulnerable House members.
Public support for impeachment has largely fallen along party lines, with the vast majority of Democrats supporting it and most Republicans opposing it. Trump‘s approval rating, according to opinion polls, has largely remained consistent throughout the inquiry.
