Trump faces impeachment move over Ukraine call; Senate unlikely to approve
The US Acting Director of National Intelligence will testify before the Senate and House Intelligence Committees today to address an anonymous whistleblower complaint against President Donald Trump.
Trump is being accused of facilitating foreign interference in the upcoming US election by allegedly pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call to investigate Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden and his son’s involvement in a Ukrainian drilling company. Trump is being accused of withholding as much as $400 million in aid to Ukraine during the time of the call. This has culminated into an impeachment inquiry launched by the Democrat-controlled House.
There are numerous bureaucratic obstacles that are likely to impede impeachment, chiefly that the impeachment motion must be approved by the Senate. Furthermore, with the earlier Mueller investigation leading to no further action, many in Trump’s base, including the President himself, believe that these accusations are a ‘witch hunt’.
The substance of the phone call and evidence presented during the impeachment inquiry could have serious ramifications for the political aspirations of both President Trump and Joe Biden. On one hand, the evidence and nature of the Ukrainian business dealing in question could seriously haunt Biden, suggesting he is corrupt. On the other hand, Trump’s willingness to utilise a foreign government to help him win the election could be seen as compromising America’s democratic integrity.
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