US House Judiciary chief: Trump conduct 'clearly impeachable'

US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler has said President Donald Trump’s conduct is “clearly impeachable” and described him as a threat to the country’s elections and system of government.

“Such conduct is clearly impeachable. This committee will proceed accordingly,” Nadler said on Monday after closing his panel’s impeachment hearing.

The committee heard from House Intelligence Committee staff on their investigation of Trump.

Nadler also accused the president of violating his oath of office and putting himself before the country.

“The evidence shows that Donald J. Trump, the president of the United States, has put himself before his country. He has violated his most basic responsibilities to the people. He has broken his oath,” Nadler said.

Meanwhile, Daniel Goldman, who is the lead Democratic counsel for the Intelligence Committee, said that the US president poses a clear danger to the country’s national security.

Trump “abused the power of his office—the American presidency—for his personal political benefit.”

Goldman also accused Trump of “unprecedented efforts to obstruct this investigation,” saying the Trump administration did not produce the requested documents.

“I know that members of this committee frequently frame these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: ‘Was there a quid pro quo?’” Goldman said. “As I testified previously with regard to the requested White House call and the White House meeting, the answer is yes.”

In addition, Barry Berke, the counsel for Judiciary Committee Democrats, said the evidence is “overwhelming” that President Trump “abused his power.”

The hearing on Monday was a key step before voting on an impeachment resolution, or articles of impeachment. The full House, which is controlled by Democrats, is likely to vote on whether to impeach the president before Christmas.

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The House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote by the end of the week on whether to send formal charges to the full House.

House Democrats are planning to unveil two articles of impeachment against President Trump on Tuesday. A debate is due to be held on them two days later. The articles are said to include abuse of power and obstruction of Congress by the president.

The impeachment inquiry began in September. It centers on Trump’s alleged pressure on Ukraine to investigate his political rival Joe Biden.

The US president is also accused of blocking Democrats’ access to key witnesses and documents during the inquiry. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and called the probe a witch-hunt.

Impeachment begins in the House. If the lower chamber of Congress approves articles of impeachment, a vote is then held in the Senate. A two-thirds majority vote would be needed in the Senate to remove the president from office.

Trump’s conviction is considered unlikely in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Only two American presidents have been impeached by the House, Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998. Neither Johnson nor Clinton was convicted by the Senate.

In 1974, then US President Richard Nixon resigned during his second term after it became certain he would be impeached and removed from office over the Watergate scandal.

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