Donald Trump indicted for abuse of power and obstruction

US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on December 18.
US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on December 18. Steve Helber / AP

US President Donald Trump was indicted on Wednesday evening December 18 in a congressional vote synonymous with impeachment trials for the ex-businessman who immediately exposed "hatred" of Democrats.

The House of Representatives, dominated by Democrats, voted in favor of the “impeachement” of the 73-year-old Republican billionaire, after an acrimonious debate between two camps with irreconcilable views reflecting the deep divisions of the 'America.

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It will now be up to the Senate to judge Donald Trump, presumably in January. The Republicans, who control the upper house, have already warned that they have a firm intention to acquit their president.

Historic vote

This vote in the House, which takes place less than a year before the presidential election, is historic. Only two other presidents – Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998 – have been charged. The Republican Richard Nixon, entangled in the Watergate scandal, had preferred to resign in 1974 before suffering such spoils.

In a spectacular telescoping, the decision fell at the same time as Donald Trump was in the gallery for a campaign meeting in Battle Creek, Michigan, about 1,000 km from Washington. Before leaving the White House, the latter had unleashed his anger on Twitter, claiming to have "NOTHING HAPPENS", and denouncing "AN AGGRESSION AGAINST AMERICA".

"It’s tragic, but the President’s irresponsible actions make his impeachment necessarysaid Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the Democrats in Congress. He left us no other choice. "

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The 45e President of the United States, which intends to run for a second term in November 2020, was targeted by two indictments – abuse of power and interference with the proper functioning of Congress – because he asked Ukraine to investigate one of his potential presidential rivals and refused to participate in the impeachment investigation targeting him.

The House of Representatives, controlled by the Democrats, adopted, with 230 votes for, 197 against and one abstention, along almost strictly partisan lines, the leader" abuse of power " against the republican billionaire. And with 229 votes in favor, 198 against and one abstention, the second count.

"An absolute joke"

For Republicans, the removal procedure is "An absolute joke", a "Deception", which does not rely on "No fact" and is motivated by the Democrats' dislike of a president who breaks the codes. "They don't just hate Donald Trump, they hate the 63 million Americans who voted for this president", launched the elected republican Steve Scalise.

False, the Democrat parliamentarians replied in unison. The lawsuits against the president have nothing to do with personal considerations or political differences, they said. According to them, "Protect the Constitution", " the democracy " or " Right wing state " threatened by a president who believes himself "Above the law" as "A monarch". Only one point of agreement emerged between the two camps: this " sad " day will go down in history books.

The tempestuous septuagenarian president wants to transform this ordeal into a political victory. Objective displayed? Use this procedure to galvanize his base and, thanks to the success of the American economy, to win his re-election in eleven months. He claims, and the Republicans with him, that the impeachment procedure is less and less popular with the Americans.

The lines haven't moved much

But polls show that the lines have changed little. According to an NBC News / Wall Street Journal study released just hours before the lower house vote, 48% of Americans are in favor of Donald Trump’s removal and… 48% of Americans are against it.

Democrats believe the former businessman betrayed the oath of office. "He was ready to sacrifice our national security (…) to improve his chances of re-election "accused Adam Schiff, who oversaw the investigation against the Republican billionaire. "He tried to cheat and he was caught", he added from the podium, ensuring that "The danger persisted".

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In question, a blackmail to which Donald Tump and some of his relatives allegedly subjected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On July 25, a telephone exchange between the two leaders set fire to the powder. Donald Trump calls on this political novice president in the grip of an armed conflict with Russia to announce an anti-corruption investigation against Democrat Joe Biden and his son Hunter, former board member of a Ukrainian gas company . Former Vice President Joe Biden leads the way in the Democratic primary for the presidential election and appears to be the most dangerous opponent for the outgoing Republican.

A body of concordant information and testimony also seems to attest that a link had been established between a possible announcement of these investigations and the disbursement of American military aid for Ukraine.

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