Trump faces historic rebuke as House votes on impeachment

Bloomberg

Donald Trump’s legacy was to be forever marked on Wednesday by his impeachment at the hands of House Democrats, who say it’s a necessary rebuke for the president’s pursuit of a political vendetta. On the eve of the vote, Trump defiantly rejected the move as a predetermined partisan assault.
Trump is all but certain to become the third US president in history to be impeached when lawmakers gather on Wednesday in the well of the House, as their predecessors did when they voted to impeach Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton.
But the president has managed to unite the Republican party fully behind him, and it’s unlikely that anyone in the GOP will join Democrats in voting for his removal. Nor is there any sign that Senate Republicans are considering convicting him when they hold a trial next year.
The day was expected unfold like this: After the House is gaveled in about 9 a.m, lawmakers will debate for six hours before two votes, one on each article of impeachment. One charge is abuse of power, based on Trump’s efforts to force Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his family. The other is obstruction of Congress, based on Trump’s refusal to allow aides to testify or to respond to subpoenas for documents.
Both articles are expected to be adopted on mostly partisan lines, as vote tallies from the Associated Press and New York Times show a majority of House members in support.
Trump fired off an angry, six-page letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying the impeachment vote would backfire and fuel his re-election bid.
“Any member of Congress who votes in support of impeachment — against every shred of truth, fact, evidence and legal principle — is showing how deeply they revile the voters and how truly they detest America’s Constitutional order,” Trump wrote. “Our Founders feared the tribalization of partisan politics, and you are bringing their worst fears to life.”
Trump contributed language and direction in the drafting of the letter, according to people familiar with the matter. White House aides, including Stephen Miller, were involved, as were Counsel Pat Cipollone and his deputy Pat Philbin.
Pelosi, in her own letter to lawmakers, wrote that their oaths “make us custodians of the Constitution.” “If we do not act, we will be derelict in our duty,” she said. Shortly after he’s impeached, Trump is expected to issue a public rebuttal at a campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan, a traditionally Democratic stronghold that helped win him the White House in 2016.
Voters are split on whether Trump should be removed from office, with about 47% in favor and 48% opposed, according to polling data aggregated by RealClearPolitics.
Democrats’ first article of impeachment finds Trump abused the power of his office by withholding military assistance from Ukraine and pressuring President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate the Bidens.