US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to launch a formal impeachment inquiry of US President Donald Trump will consume the nation’s attention, grind the work of government to a halt and ultimately determine whether the president heads into re-election damaged or emboldened.
Pelosi on Tuesday threw the weight of her office behind an impeachment that she has been reluctant to embrace — until allegations surfaced last week that Trump improperly pressured the government of Ukraine.
That has set her on course for a constitutional clash with Trump, who quickly assailed the proceedings as “Witch Hunt garbage” and vowed a vigorous defense.
Photo: AFP
That defense was to intensify yesterday, when Trump was to release an unredacted transcript of his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which Trump has said would rebut claims that he leaned on Ukraine to investigate former US vice president Joe Biden.
The New York Times reported that the Trump administration was preparing for the possible release of a redacted version of a whistle-blower complaint by an intelligence official that sparked the uproar over the telephone call.
On Tuesday, Pelosi sought to get ahead of Trump’s defense: “The actions taken to date by the president have seriously violated the constitution, especially when the president says: ‘Article II says I can do whatever I want.’”
Trump’s decision to release the transcript of his July 25 call with Zelenskiy, despite misgivings about setting a precedent for normally confidential conversations, was a bid to pre-empt yet another investigation into whether he improperly solicited foreign help in an election.
Trump said that the transcript would show only “perfect” behavior.
The blitz of activity also allows Trump to proclaim his innocence before scheduled congressional testimony tomorrow by Acting US Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, who has up to now refused to turn over the whistle-blower’s complaint.
The House planned to vote yesterday on a resolution pressuring the intelligence community to release details of the complaint.
Trump has alleged — and asked Ukraine to investigate — that Biden pressured Ukraine to fire its prosecutor general in 2016 to stop an investigation of Burisma Holdings. His son, Hunter, served on the board.
Biden has dismissed concerns that the controversy could hurt him politically.
“I can take the political attacks. They’ll come and they’ll go and, in time, they’ll soon be forgotten. But if we allow a president to get away with shredding the United States constitution, that will last forever,” Biden said.
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