The US House of Representatives on Thursday approved a resolution authorizing the impeachment probe of President Donald Trump, despite Republican opposition arguing that the “Soviet-style” bill lacks transparency and due process.
The 232-196 vote ended up being almost entirely along party lines, with only two Democrats voting against and no Republicans voting for the resolution, according to Reuters.
The resolution puts House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff (D-California) in charge of the impeachment proceedings while limiting the access of Republican members of Congress and White House attorneys.
It comes following criticism from the GOP that the inquiry launched by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) 37 days ago has not been properly authorized by a full House vote, breaking with the precedent established by the previous impeachment campaigns in US history.
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In speeches on the House floor on Thursday morning, Democrats and Republicans both invoked the Founding Fathers, the Constitution and the defence of duty and democracy. Democrats maintain that Trump abused his power, undermined US national security and the integrity of elections – citing a July phone call with the president of Ukraine.
Trump and the Republicans have pointed out that none of these things are true, and that there was nothing untoward about the call.
The White House has released a transcript of the call, which Schiff famously mischaracterized in a “parody” during a committee hearing. The Democrat-led interrogations of the people involved in US-Ukraine relations have been kept a secret, with bits and pieces being leaked to friendly media outlets.
Republicans have called the process an attempt to overturn the 2016 election and influence the 2020 presidential vote, citing a prominent Democrat who said Trump must be impeached or else he will win re-election.
No US president has ever been successfully impeached. Richard Nixon resigned before an impeachment vote. Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were impeached in the House but not in the Senate, remaining in office as the result.
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