First impeachment of Donald Trump

First impeachment of Donald Trump. The first impeachment of Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, occurred in late 2019 and early 2020. The House of Representatives adopted two articles of impeachment against him on December 18, 2019, making him the third U.S. president to be impeached. The subsequent trial in the United States Senate concluded on February 5, 2020, with his acquittal on both charges.

Background

The impeachment stemmed from a July 25, 2019, phone call between President Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine. During the call, which followed the conclusion of the Mueller Report investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, Trump asked Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden, a leading candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, and his son, Hunter Biden. Trump also mentioned alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election and referenced U.S. military aid to Ukraine, which had been temporarily withheld by the Office of Management and Budget. In August 2019, an anonymous whistleblower, later identified as a Central Intelligence Agency analyst, filed a complaint with the Intelligence Community Inspector General regarding the call. The complaint was withheld from Congress by the acting Director of National Intelligence, Joseph Maguire, triggering intense scrutiny from the House Intelligence Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Impeachment inquiry

On September 24, 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry, directing six House committees to investigate. The House Intelligence Committee, chaired by Adam Schiff, took the lead, conducting closed-door and later public hearings. Key witnesses included William B. Taylor Jr., the chargé d'affaires for Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, and Alexander Vindman, a National Security Council official. Testimony revealed a parallel foreign policy channel run by Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and indicated that the release of nearly $400 million in security aid and a potential White House meeting for Zelensky were conditioned on the announcement of the investigations. The State Department and the White House Office of Management and Budget resisted subpoenas for documents and witness testimony, leading to charges of obstruction.

Articles of impeachment

On December 10, 2019, the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Jerrold Nadler, introduced two articles of impeachment. The first article, for abuse of power, alleged Trump solicited foreign interference in a U.S. election for his personal political benefit. The second article, for obstruction of Congress, charged him with defying lawful congressional subpoenas and directing executive branch agencies and officials to do the same. The committee voted along party lines to approve the articles on December 13. The full House of Representatives debated the articles on December 18, culminating in a vote where the abuse of power article passed 230–197 and the obstruction article passed 229–198. The vote was largely partisan, with all Republicans voting against and nearly all Democrats voting in favor.

Senate trial

The articles were transmitted to the United States Senate on January 15, 2020, initiating the trial. Chief Justice John Roberts presided, while Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, set the trial rules. The House impeachment managers, led by Schiff and Nadler, argued for calling witnesses like former National Security Advisor John Bolton and acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. The Senate, controlled by Republicans, voted against subpoenaing new documents or witnesses. Trump's defense team, which included Pat Cipollone, the White House Counsel, and attorney Jay Sekulow, argued the charges were constitutionally deficient and politically motivated. On February 5, the Senate voted on the articles, acquitting Trump on both counts. The vote on abuse of power was 48 for conviction to 52 for acquittal; the vote on obstruction of Congress was 47 to 53. Only one Republican, Mitt Romney of Utah, voted to convict on the first article.

Aftermath

Trump was formally acquitted on February 5, 2020, and he immediately denounced the process as a "hoax" and a "witch hunt." The impeachment remained a central issue in the 2020 United States presidential election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden. The episode deepened partisan divisions in Washington, D.C., and set precedents regarding executive privilege and congressional oversight. Several officials involved, including Alexander Vindman and his twin brother Yevgeny Vindman, were reassigned within the United States government. The first impeachment was followed by a second impeachment of Donald Trump in 2021, following the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

Category:Donald Trump Category:Presidency of Donald Trump Category:Impeachment in the United States Category:2019 in American politics Category:2020 in American politics