in September, and is based on claims that Trump violated his oath and potentially committed an offence in a July 2019 phone call to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The president is accused of pressuring Zelenskiy to investigate corruption claims against Senator Joe Biden, his potential 2020 election rival, and Biden’s son Hunter, using US military aid to the country as leverage for his request. Trump denies any wrongdoing.All House Republicans voted against the resolution today, but it was not enough to sway the result. After the ruling was passed, Trump’s press secretary Stephanie Grisham issued a statement condemning the decision.
“Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats’ unhinged obsession with this illegitimate impeachment proceeding does not hurt President Trump; it hurts the American people,” she said, accusing the opposition of being “unfair, unconstitutional, and fundamentally un-American”. Here are other reactions from across the political sphere, starting with Trump’s daughter and senior White House advisor Ivanka Trump, who jumped to her father’s defence:Pelosi, who took the unusual step of voting in her role as House Speaker today, said America’s democracy hung in the balance.The Democrats have faced some criticism over the apparent secrecy of the impeachment inquiry to date, something Donald Trump Jr. referenced in his reaction to today’s decision.