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For the third time in the nation’s history, the House of Representatives voted to impeach a sitting president.
President Donald J. Trump was impeached on Wednesday.
There was a debate today in the House on whether Trump violated his oath in pressuring Ukraine to investigate a political opponent for obvious corruption involving millions of dollar paid to the son of former Vice President Joe Biden. The funds were funnelled through Burisma, a natural gas company in Ukraine.
The 230-197 vote to impeach Trump for abuse of power passed on party lines.
The Senate trial on whether to remove the president will begin in early January.
Rep. Debbie Lesko, R.-Ariz., said, “I believe this is the most unfair, politically biased, rigged process that I have seen in my entire life.”
“This is the most partisan impeachment in the history of the United States,” she added.
In a Senate trial, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that Republicans will seek to dismiss impeachment charges against President Donald Trump immediately after hearing opening statements.
McConnell’s remarks came from the Senate floor on Tuesday.
As a model for a proposed trial of Trump, the Majority Leader said that he was using the 1999 Senate trial of President Bill Clinton.
McConnell suggested that a motion to dismiss would be put forth by Republicans after opening statements.
McConnell said, “By any ordinary legal standard, what House Democrats have assembled would appear to be woefully, woefully inadequate to prove what they want to allege.”
“The House should not impeach on this basis in the first place,” he added.
In the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, it was initiated on October 8, 1998.
The House voted to commence impeachment proceedings against Clinton for “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
The specific charges against Clinton were lying under oath and obstruction of justice. The charges stemmed from a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Clinton by Paula Jones and from Clinton’s own testimony.
A trial in the Senate began in January 1999, with Chief Justice William Rehnquist presiding.
However, on February 12, Clinton was acquitted on both counts as neither received the necessary two-thirds majority vote of the senators present for conviction and removal from office.
WATCH: Mitch McConnell Says The Senate Will Dismiss Impeachment After Opening Statements
In Clinton’s Senate trial, 45 senators voted to convict while 55 voted for acquittal on Article One.
On Article Two, 50 senators voted to convict while 50 voted for acquittal.
Clinton remained in office for the balance of his second term.
