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"When the Gods want to Punish Us, They Answer Our Prayers" -Oscar Wilde
It's official. The House of Representatives has launched an impeachment inquiry into the President of the United States. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announcing the decision on Tuesday. Speaker Pelosi said President Trump's actions forced her to order an impeachment investigation. The speaker said Mr. Trump admitted to asking the president of Ukraine to take actions which would benefit him politically, which she called a betrayal of the president's oath of office. Even if the House votes for Articles of Impeachment, the Republican Senate majority so far has indicated it has no interest in removing the president.
Almost immediately after the announcement, The President went to twitter to accuse Speaker Pelosi of sabotaging his agenda at the United Nations. Mr. Trump also seemed to be upset that Pelosi made this announcement before the scheduled release on Wednesday of what he says is the full transcript of his call with the president of Ukraine. But House Democrats are demanding the administration turnover the whistleblower complaint that involves that call.
Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden says Congress may have no other choice but to impeach President Trump. Biden said it is impeachable for the president to call another country and ask them to smear him or any other candidate to win an election.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy accused Speaker Nancy Pelosi of carrying out a political vendetta against President Trump for winning the 2016 election. Rep. McCarthy also said the speaker cannot unilaterally launch an impeachment inquiry.
If Speaker Pelosi wanted to put her name in the history books, then she got her wish. If she wanted to sway the course of the 2020 election, she may have got her wish too- just not in the way she envisioned. Time will tell how this plays out historically and politically, and if the Democrats misplay their hand they will most likely watch Donald Trump get re-inaugurated on January 20th, 2021.
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