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US House Votes to Formally Open Impeachment Inquiry Targeting Trump

Ken Bredemeier

   The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday
   to authorize a public impeachment inquiry targeting President Donald
   Trump after weeks of testimony behind closed doors about his efforts to
   push Ukraine to investigate his political opponents.

   The vote was along party lines, 232-196 for the impeachment inquiry,
   with all Republicans against the resolution and two Democratic
   defectors joining them.

   Immediately after the vote, Trump called the impeachment inquiry, "The
   Greatest Witch Hunt In American History!" in a tweet.

     The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History!
     -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [1]October 31, 2019

   White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham issued a statement saying
   the president "has done nothing wrong" and calling the process "unfair,
   unconstitutional, and fundamentally un-American."

   "Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats' unhinged obsession with this
   illegitimate impeachment proceeding does not hurt President Trump; it
   hurts the American people," she said.
   House Speaker Pelosi had long opposed opening an impeachment inquiry,
   but has turned sharply against Trump and called for passage of the
   impeachment rules. As debate opened Thursday, she said "nobody" comes
   to Congress to impeach a president, "unless his actions are
   jeopardizing us honoring our oath of office."

   "Sadly, this is not any cause for any glee or comfort," she said. "This
   is something that is very solemn."

   Republicans had for weeks demanded that the majority Democrats hold a
   vote to authorize the impeachment probe against the Republican
   president, but as the vote neared they attacked it as an attempt to
   justify what they contend are sham hearings that have already been
   held.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1189927952168996865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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