The House Intelligence Committee released its report containing a summary of all the evidence that has been collected during the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. The report accuses President Trump of abusing the power of his office to pressure Ukraine into launching investigations into his political rivals and then obstructing Congress as they conducted their impeachment inquiry.
The report states that Trump withheld $400 million in military aid and a White House visit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky until he publicly announced that Ukrainian officials were launching corruption investigations into Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter.
The report says that by withholding military aid to a country that is at war with Russia, Trump "endangered U.S. national security."
“[T]he President placed his own personal and political interests above the national interests of the United States, sought to undermine the integrity of the U.S. presidential election process, and endangered U.S. national security,” the 300-page report says.
The aid was ultimately released, and Ukraine did not announce any investigations into the Bidens.
The report blasts Trump and his administration for trying to obstruct investigators by refusing to turn over documents and by intimidating witnesses who testified. It warns that Trump's attempts to interfere in the impeachment inquiry and Congressional investigations are unprecedented and uproot the balance the power between Congress and the Executive branch.
"If left unanswered, President Trump's ongoing effort to thwart Congress' impeachment power risks doing grave harm to the institution of Congress, the balance of power between our branches of government, and the Constitutional order that the President and every Member of Congress have sworn to protect and defend."
On Wednesday (December 4), the House Judiciary will hold their first impeachment hearing, in which a panel of constitutional experts will discuss whether Trump's conduct, as outlined in the report, is an impeachable offense.
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