US House Panel Approves Charges Against President Donald Trump, Sets Up Impeachment Vote

The US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Friday approved two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump setting up the impeachment vote. The articles approved are abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The US Congress moved one step closer to impeaching Donald Trump after the House judiciary committee voted on Friday to move two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump to the House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives, one of the two houses of the United States Parliament, will now discuss and vote on whether to impeach the president.

The voting in the House judiciary committee, a crucial final stage before impeachment itself, was on a straight party-line vote. While the Democrats voted for approving the articles of impeachment, Republicans voted against it. The committee approved the two articles of impeachment, charging Trump with abuse of power and obstructing Congress, on votes of 23-17. A full House vote on whether to impeach the president was expected to be taken as early as Tuesday.

Trump would be the third president in American history to be impeached.

A Senate trial to decide whether to remove Trump from office would follow early next year, with the expectation that the Republican majority in the Senate would acquit Trump.

Democrats, who are in majority in the House of Representatives, accuse Trump of abusing his power for his own political benefit and at the expense of US national security. They allege that Trump tried to pressure Ukraine into opening an investigation into former vice-president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, using military aid and an Oval Office meeting as bargaining chips. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.