Donald Trump will go down in history as a unique president. Before this event, only two American presidents have been formally impeached. This is only the third time in American history from 1776 that a President has faced this ignominy. CNN has reported that the House of Representatives has voted to impeach President Trump. The charges are high crimes and acts of a misdemeanor. President Trump looks unfazed, but he has created history with this impeachment.
Historic vote
The Historic vote in Congress took place along party lines. The Democrats supported the impeachment while the Republicans voted for Trump.
The Democrats feel that the president abused the power of his office. He misused his official position by asking a foreign power to investigate a political rival, with a view to malign him. The house also approved a second charge that he obstructed the due process of investigation by Congress.
Indictment
Articles of impeachment in political terms means an indictment. The next step is a trial in the Senate. If the trend of voting holds, the president is likely to be acquitted. Time has reported that National Security experts have condemned Trump's actions, and historians have deemed them to be an abuse of power. Whatever the result, the impeachment proceedings will affect, as he would be carrying the mark of impeachment in the 2020 election.
There is no getting away from it.
The Senate trial is expected to take place in January. A two-thirds majority is required for conviction. The Democrats had the majority in the house to impeach Trump, but the Republicans control the Senate. Only the most optimistic expect that Trump will be convicted.
Trump reacts
The voting took place along party lines with nearly all Democrats voting for the charges and all Republicans against it.
As the voting process was going on, President Trump was addressing a campaign rally. The president who recently went for a medical checkup was addressing a cheering crowd in Battle Creek, Michigan. At the same time, the White House released a statement that the president was confident that he would be fully exonerated.
Donald Trump may be optimistic, but he will have the dubious distinction to be in the company of only two other presidents in 243 years history- Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton.
This exclusive group will now have Trump as one of its members.
Result
The result is a foregone conclusion as the Republicans have the numbers. The sight will shift to whether these impeachment proceedings will affect the 2020 election. The Republicans appear to be solidly behind Trump. Republican Barry Loudermilk has compared the impeachment process of the President to the fate of Jesus Christ.
One may not agree with him, but the stage is set for an interesting battle in 2020. One will have to wait and see whether Nanci Pelosi's gamble pays off for the Democrats.
