House Panel Delays Vote on Impeachment Articles

Source: NYTimes

WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday abruptly put off a historic impeachment vote, turning back Republican attempts to derail the process and setting up final action on Friday to approve charges that President Trump abused his power and obstructed Congress.

Amid Republicans’ cries of outrage, Democrats were poised to approve along party lines an article of impeachment that accused Mr. Trump of abusing the powers of his office by pressuring Ukraine to announce investigations of his political rivals, using official acts as leverage as he sought advantage for his 2020 re-election campaign. They were also on track to adopt a second article of impeachment against Mr. Trump for obstructing Congress, based on an across-the-board defiance of their subpoenas that Democrats branded an attempt to conceal the Ukraine scheme.

Debate stretched into the night on Thursday, as Republicans offered amendments to gut or water down the articles, and Democrats declined to cut off the discussion, even as members of both parties repeated the same arguments again and again. After more than 12 hours of back-and-forth, Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York and the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, announced he would postpone the final votes for Friday, although the outcome was certain.

Gathered in the Ways and Means Committee room for the second consecutive day, lawmakers feuded over the two articles of impeachment all day Thursday, their tempers flaring and patience wearing thin. Republicans’ amendments were rebuffed in one lopsided vote after another.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/12/us/politics/trump-impeachment-judiciary.html