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THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2019
House votes to impeach President Trump
House Speaker Pelosi says
Trump ‘gave us no choice’
By LISA MASCARO
and MARY CLARE JALONICK
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Donald
Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of
Representatives Wednesday night, becom-
ing only the third American chief executive
to be formally charged under the Constitu-
tion’s ultimate remedy for high crimes and
misdemeanors.
The historic votes split along party lines,
much the way it has divided the nation, over
the charges that the 45th president abused the
power of his offi ce by enlisting a foreign gov-
ernment to investigate a political rival ahead
of the 2020 election. The House also voted
on a charge that he then obstructed Congress
in its investigation.
The articles of impeachment, the polit-
ical equivalent of an indictment, now go to
the Senate for trial. If Trump is acquitted by
the Republican-led chamber, as expected, he
would have to run for reelection carrying the
enduring mark of impeachment on his pur-
posely disruptive presidency.
Democrats led Wednesday night’s vot-
ing, framed in what many said was their
duty to protect the Constitution and uphold
the nation’s system of checks and balances.
Republicans stood by their party’s leader,
who has frequently tested the bounds of
civic norms. Trump called the whole affair
a “witch hunt,” a “hoax” and a “sham,” and
sometimes all three.
The trial is expected to begin in January in
the Senate, where a vote of two-thirds is nec-
essary for conviction. While Democrats had
the majority in the House to impeach Trump,
Republicans control the Senate and few if
any are expected to diverge from plans to
acquit the president ahead of early state elec-
tion-year primary voting.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, once
reluctant to lead Democrats into a partisan
impeachment, now risks her majority and
speakership to hold the president accountable.
“Today we are here to defend democracy
for the people,” Pelosi said.
Trump, who began Wednesday tweeting
his anger at the proceedings, scheduled an
evening rally in Battle Creek, Michigan.
As the House debated the articles of
impeachment throughout the day, Trump
registered his anger with the process on
Twitter, in all capital letters: “SUCH ATRO-
CIOUS LIES BY THE RADICAL LEFT,
DO NOTHING DEMOCRATS. THIS
IS AN ASSAULT ON AMERICA, AND
U.S. House of Representatives
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi points to a poster as she speaks as the House of Representatives debated articles of impeachment against President
Donald Trump.
AN ASSAULT ON THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY!!!!” he wrote.
What Pelosi called a sad and solemn
moment for the country, coming in the fi rst
year that Democrats swept control of the
House, unfolded in a caustic daylong ses-
sion that showcased the nation’s divisions —
not only along party lines, but also by region,
race and culture.
The House impeachment resolution laid
out in stark terms the two articles of impeach-
ment against Trump stemming from his July
phone call when he asked the Ukraine pres-
ident for a “favor” — to announce it was
investigating Democrats ahead of the 2020
election. He also pushed Ukrainian Presi-
dent Volodymyr Zelenskiy to probe unsub-
stantiated corruption allegations against Joe
Biden, the former vice president and 2020
White House contender.
At the time, Zelenskiy, a young come-
dian newly elected to politics, was seeking
a coveted White House visit to show back-
ing from the U.S. ally as it confronts a hostile
Russia at its border. He was also counting on
$391 million in military aid already approved
by Congress. The White House delayed the
funds, but Trump eventually released the
money once Congress intervened.
Narrow in scope but broad in its charge,
the resolution said the president “betrayed
the nation by abusing his high offi ce to enlist
a foreign power in corrupting democratic
elections,” and then obstructed Congress’
oversight like “no president” in U.S. history.
“President Trump, by such conduct, has
demonstrated that he will remain a threat
to national security and the Constitution if
allowed to remain in offi ce,” it said.
Republicans argued that Democrats are
impeaching Trump because they can’t beat
him in 2020.
“This vote is about one thing, and one
thing only: They hate this president,” said
Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah. “They want to
take away my vote and throw it in the trash.”
But Democrats warned the country cannot
wait for the next election to decide whether
Trump should remain in offi ce because he
has shown a pattern of behavior, particularly
toward Russia, and will try to corrupt U.S.
elections in 2020.
“The president and his men plot on,”
said Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., of the
Intelligence Committee that led the inquiry.
“The danger persists. The risk is real.”
The outcome brings the Trump presidency
to a milestone moment that has been building
almost from the time the New York business-
man-turned-reality-TV host unexpectedly
won the White House in 2016 amid questions
about Russian interference in the U.S. elec-
tion — and the rise of the “resistance.”
Democrats drew from history, the found-
ers and their own experiences, as minori-
ties, women and some immigrants to the
U.S., seeking to honor their oath of offi ce
to uphold the constitution. Rep. Lou Cor-
rea, D-Calif., spoke in Spanish asking God
to unite the nation. “In America,” said Rep.
Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., “no one is above
the law.”
Republicans aired Trump-style griev-
ances about what Arizona Rep. Debbie
Lesko called a “rigged” process.
“We face this horror because of this map,”
said Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Ala., before a
poster of red and blue states. “They call this
Republican map fl yover country, they call us
deplorables, they fear our faith, they fear our
strength, they fear our unity, they fear our
vote, and they fear our president.”
The political fallout from the vote will
reverberate across an already polarized coun-
try with divergent views of Trump’s July
phone call when Trump asked Zelenskiy to
investigate Democrats in the 2016 election,
Biden and his son, Hunter, who worked on
the board of a gas company in Ukraine while
his father was the vice president.
CANNON BEACH GALLERY GROUP
The Cannon Gallery Group wishes to express our thanks to all of
our sponsors. With your support, in 2019 we hosted the Spring
Unveiling Arts Festival in May, the inaugural Earth & Ocean Arts
Festival in September, and we co-hosted the Stormy Weather Arts
Festival in November. Through these events, we participate in and
enrich the culture and economic health of the north Oregon coast. We
are also grateful to the City of Cannon Beach and the Cannon Beach
Tourism & Arts Commission, whose support makes this all possible.
Without further ado, THANK YOU to our annual supporters:
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photo credit Tad Hetu
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The Waves at Cannon Beach • The Wine Shack • Village Centre
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During the Earth & Ocean Arts Festival, we collectively raised
$22,971 for five local nonprofit organizations that work to keep
the beauty of our environment pristine. We partnered with the
Friends of Haystack Rock, the Friends of the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve,
the North Coast Land Conservancy, Sea Turtles Forever and the
Wildlife Center of the North Coast.
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