US President Donald Trump said that the impeachment probe against him passed by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives that will trigger a political trial in the Republican-majority Senate against him, represented a political suicide and a matter of shame for the Democratic Party.
Trump’s comments late on Wednesday came minutes after the House voted mostly along party lines to impeach Trump on the basis of two charges – abuse of power and obstruction of the Congress.
The articles were approved by a margin of 230-197 and 229-198, respectively (218 votes are needed for a majority in the chamber of 435 members).
“Through their depraved actions today, Crazy Nancy’s House Democrats have branded themselves with an eternal mark of shame,” Trump said, in reference to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, during a campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Democrat lawmakers don’t believe you have the right to elect your own President.
“The do-nothing Democrats are declaring their deep hatred and disdain for the American people.
“This lawless partisan impeachment is a political suicide march for the Democrat party,” he added.
On Wednesday, Trump was impeached for abuse of power in a historic vote in the House of Representatives, setting up a Senate trial on removing him from office after three turbulent years.
Trump will now stand trial in the Senate, where his Republicans hold a solid majority and are expected to exonerate him.
The House vote came four months after a whistleblower blew open the scandal of Trump pressuring Ukraine’s president to investigate his potential White House challenger in 2020, the veteran Democrat Joe Biden.
Earlier in the month, President Trump took to Twitter, saying “The good thing is that the Republicans have NEVER been more united. We will win!”.
Earlier, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the Democrats will begin drafting articles of impeachment against President Trump.
While impeachment is expected to pass in the Democratic-led House, the Senate is held by a Republican majority and would likely acquit the US president as his 2020 reelection campaign gathers pace.
Pelosi argued that the president’s conduct when it came to Ukraine left Democrats with “no choice but to act,” charging that Trump abused the powers of the presidency and leaving little doubt that the House will hold a vote to impeach him as early as before Christmas.
In September, the impeachment inquiry, which Nancy Pelosi initiated over a complaint by an anonymous whistleblower, is looking into White House’s alleged efforts to withhold military aid to have Ukraine investigate a Trump’s political rival, Joe Biden.
(With inputs from agency)