US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the chamber will file impeachment charges against President Donald Trump, the BBC reports.
“Today I am asking our chairmen to proceed with articles of impeachment,” the top elected Democrat said.
She spoke a day after the House Judiciary Committee began considering potential charges against the Republican president.
Mr Trump told Democrats to move quickly if they were going to impeach him.
He tweeted shortly before Mrs Pelosi’s remarks: “If you are going to impeach me, do it now, fast, so we can have a fair trial in the Senate, and so that our country can get back to business.”
The California congresswoman told Thursday morning’s news conference: “The facts are uncontested. The president abused his power for his own political benefit at the expense of our national security, by withholding military aid and a crucial Oval Office meeting in exchange for an announcement for an investigation into his political rival.”
Her statement comes a day after she held a behind-closed-doors meeting on impeachment with her fellow Democrats and asked them: “Are you ready?”
The lawmakers responded with a rousing “Yes”, according to the Associated Press news agency.
The White House has reacted to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement moments ago that Democrats are moving forward with articles of impeachment against President Trump.
“Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats should be ashamed. Donald Trump has done nothing but lead our country – resulting in a booming economy, more jobs & a stronger military, to name just a few of his major accomplishments. We look forward to a fair trial in the Senate,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham tweeted.
