News·1 min read

Trump impeachment inquiry: Here are the next steps

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December 3, 2019

In September, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called for the House to begin a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump.

Here’s where things stand:

  1. The House Intelligence Committee held public hearings with witnesses. Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) was in charge. The committee wrote up a report on its findings and handed it over to… 

  2. The House Judiciary Committee, which held its own hearings. It debated and voted on articles of impeachment. The committee approved two of them: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Then...

  3. The whole House voted on whether to impeach Trump. A majority said ‘aye’ to both articles of impeachment, making Trump the third president in US history to be impeached. Up next…

  4. The Senate holds a trial, though lawmakers could try to dismiss it. The trial could start in early 2020. House members are the prosecutors. Senators are the jury. The president’s lawyers can also be there.

  5. The Senate decides whether or not to remove Trump from office. Two-thirds of the Senate has to say ‘aye’ to do that. This has never happened. In today’s Senate, that would mean every Democrat + 20 Republicans would have to vote in favor of removing Trump.

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