House of Reps impeaches Donald Trump for abuse of power, obstruction

President Donald John Trump has been impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress by the House of Representatives.

This makes him become the third president in US history to be impeached.

The House of Representatives voted almost entirely along party lines — 230-197-1 — to charge Trump with abuse of power, and it followed it up with a 229-198-1 vote to charge Trump with obstruction of Congress.

The votes mark the culmination of a rapid three-month inquiry into allegations that the President pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals while withholding a White House meeting and $400 million in US security aid.

Democratic leaders said the President also obstructed the investigation into his misconduct with a blanket blockade of subpoenas, refusing to allow key senior officials to testify before Congress.

Trump has said he did nothing wrong in his July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that there was “no pressure whatsoever.” He has called the impeachment inquiry “the greatest hoax,” lashing out at Democrats, the media and the anonymous whistleblower who submitted a complaint to the intelligence inspector general.