WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s actions to prod Ukraine to pursue investigations that could benefit him politically represent impeachable offenses, constitutional law experts called by Democrats testified to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday as lawmakers laid the groundwork for formal charges against Trump. The impeachment inquiry, launched in September, focuses on Trump’s request on Ukraine to conduct investigations that could harm Democratic political rival Joe Biden. Collins said the impeachment drive – or as he called it a “railroad job” – was motivated by the deep-seated hatred Democrats feel toward Trump since he won the 2016 election. The hearing was the committee’s first to examine whether Trump’s actions qualify as “high crimes and misdemeanors” punishable by impeachment under the U.S. Constitution. If the House approves such charges, the Senate then would hold a trial on whether to remove Trump from office.

Source: National Post December 04, 2019 13:18 UTC