House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced formal impeachment proceedings against President Trump on Tuesday.
“I’m announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry,” Pelosi said.
BREAKING NEWS: Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces that the House of Representatives will move forward with an “official impeachment inquiry.” pic.twitter.com/PE3h3lgfEH
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) September 24, 2019
“I’m directing our six committees to proceed with their investigations under that umbrella of impeachment inquiry,” Pelosi said. “The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law.”
Pelosi made the announcement just after 5 p.m. EST after alluding to the announcement at The Atlantic Fest in Washington, D.C.
“As soon as we have the facts, we’re ready,” Pelosi said Tuesday afternoon at The Atlantic Festival. “Now we have the facts, we’re ready … for later today.”
Pelosi had been resistant to calls for impeachment made by her colleagues on Capitol Hill. However, support for impeachment has been quickly gaining steam recently, with 166 Democrats voicing their support of impeachment action, according to NBC News.
White House Press Secretary responded to Democrat calls for impeachment, saying, “Dems do nothing but weaponize politics when they should be working on behalf of their constituents. President Trump is here in NYC working hard on behalf of our country, while the dems continue to stomp their feet & shout the word impeachment. Nothing new here.”
Yes! Dems do nothing but weaponize politics when they should be working on behalf of their constituents. President Trump is here in NYC working hard on behalf of our country, while the dems continue to stomp their feet & shout the word impeachment. Nothing new here. https://t.co/GSOwT9qRXb
— Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) September 24, 2019
The latest issue spurring calls of impeachment against Trump is his alleged withdrawal of $391 million in aid from Ukraine as a tactic of pressuring Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.
On Tuesday, Trump confirmed he withheld the aid in June, but did so before the call took place in July to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Also on Tuesday, Trump ordered the full transcript of the call with Zelensky.
“You will see it was a very friendly and totally appropriate call. No pressure and, unlike Joe Biden and his son, NO quid pro quo! This is nothing more than a continuation of the Greatest and most Destructive Witch Hunt of all time!” Trump tweeted.
….You will see it was a very friendly and totally appropriate call. No pressure and, unlike Joe Biden and his son, NO quid pro quo! This is nothing more than a continuation of the Greatest and most Destructive Witch Hunt of all time!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2019