Pelosi Asks House Democrats to Draft Articles of Impeachment

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi compared President Donald Trump to a despotic tyrant in a press conference Thursday and announced she has asked House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler to prepare articles of impeachment.

“The facts are uncontested,” said Pelosi, a California Democrat. “The president abused his power for his own personal political benefit at the expense of our national security.”

Watch Pelosi’s announcement:

The House Intelligence Committee released its 300-page report on the president’s abuse of power on Tuesday. The document details how Trump used the release of Congressionally-approved military aid to Ukraine to pressure that country’s leader, President Volodymyr Zelensky, to publicly announce he was investigating Trump’s potential 2020 election rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.

“The president leaves us no choice but to act,” said Pelosi.

Pelosi: “Today, I am asking our chairman to proceed with articles of impeachment.” pic.twitter.com/RQM7l83n3G

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) December 5, 2019

Pelosi’s decision to move forward on impeachment was “a historic announcement that comes as absolutely no surprise to anyone in the Capitol, since this is what the Dems have been moving toward for weeks now,” said Politico‘s Jake Sherman.

“It’s on,” tweeted New York Times editor Katie Robertson.

As Common Dreams reported, the Judiciary Committee held a hearing Wednesday with legal experts who argued that Trump’s behavior met the standard of impeachment.

“Put simply, a candidate for president should resist foreign interference in our elections, not demand it,” said Stanford Law School professor Pamela Karlan. “If we are to keep faith with the Constitution and our Republic, President Trump must be held to account.”