Democrats in the US Congress today announced two charges in the impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump - abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
If these accusations are adopted at the plenary session, which is likely to be held next Sunday, Donald Trump will become the third president in history to be accused in the process of impeachment by the US Congress.
He will probably not be impeached even after that vote in the House of Representatives, since the upper house of the US Congress, the Senate, in charge of the trial, is controlled by Republicans who largely support him.
"Today, on behalf of the Constitution and our country, the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives introduces two counts of indictment against US President Donald Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors," said the head of that committee, Jerry Nedler, citing allegations of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
"He threatens democracy, he threatens our national security. Our upcoming elections are at risk... that's why we have to act now," Nedler said.
Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who has been leading the investigation into the Ukrainian case for more than two months, said they are here today because the president's abuse of power leaves no other alternative.
Donald Trump repeated that he did nothing illegal and condemned the "masquerade" made by the Democrats because, according to him, they are incapable of defeating him in the elections.
Before the announcement of the accusations, Trump wrote in a Twitter message that impeachment of the president with the effect he is having would be "simple political folly."
The charges announced today stem from Trump's pressure on Ukraine to investigate his political rivals while he withheld aid from the country.
On September 24, Democrats in the lower house of the US Congress launched the impeachment procedure against Trump, who is suspected of abuse of power for asking Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden, his potential rival in the 2020 presidential election.
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