After years of torment and global embarrassment, we finally live in a world in which our resident Idiot-in-Chief may actually be impeached.
The New York Times reports that on Thursday morning, the U.S. House voted 232-196 in favor of a resolution that lays out the rules for the impeachment inquiry into the laundry list of Melania’s baby daddy’s alleged misdeeds. This vote marked the first time the entire House was asked to go on record about the impeachment proceedings since the Democrats initiated the inquiry last month.
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In a vote that was expected to be deeply partisan, to the surprise of no one, every single Republican voted against the resolution—which is consistent with their assertions that the impeachment investigation process thus far has been both secretive and unfair.
“What is at stake in all of this is nothing less than our democracy,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. “Let us honor our oath of office. Let us defend our democracy.”
Meanwhile, Republicans aren’t exactly thrilled at this turn of events.
“Democrats are continuing their permanent campaign to undermine [Trump’s] legitimacy,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said on the House floor, according to Politico. “Democrats are trying to impeach the president because they are scared they cannot defeat him at the ballot box.”
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham is convinced that Democrats have an “unhinged obsession” with impeachment and have launched a concerted effort to “destroy the president.”
“The president has done nothing wrong, and the Democrats know it,” Grisham said, per USA Today. “The Democrats want to render a verdict without giving the Administration a chance to mount a defense. That is unfair, unconstitutional, and fundamentally un-American.”
Politico has the scoop on what the resolution entails:
The resolution does spell out certain due process rights provided to Trump once the probe moves into the public domain, but Republicans note they are constrained by Democratic chairmen.
For instance, Republicans may request to call witnesses and issue subpoenas at Intelligence Committee hearings, but the requests can be vetoed by Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)—a similar arrangement to previous impeachment proceedings.
Trump and his legal team will also be able to mount a defense and cross-examine witnesses in the House Judiciary Committee, which will draft any articles of impeachment. But those actions will also need to be approved by Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.).
The Democrats’ decision to announce and vote on the resolution so abruptly might’ve infuriated their Republican counterparts, but the trash won’t find its way to the curb itself. Somebody’s gotta take it out. And it appears that Democrats are more than up for the job.
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