The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted to approve a resolution put forth by Democrats that will dictate the rules and processes of the official impeachment inquiry aimed at President Donald Trump.
The final vote of 232 to 196 was along strict party lines, with just two Democrats voting against the resolution, no Republicans voting in favor, and the chamber’s lone Independent, Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, voting ‘aye.’
THE DEM IMPEACHMENT MEASURE has passed. 232-196. Rs united in opposition. Two Dems — Van Drew and Peterson — vote with Republicans.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 31, 2019
In response to the vote, grassroots groups like By The People heralded the Democrats for pushing the ball forward on Trump’s impeachment.
“Every day Trump remains in office is another day he subverts our democracy, endangers our lives, and betrays our country for his own personal benefit,” said Alexandra Flores-Quilty, the group’s executive director. “If we don’t act, Trump will be emboldened to commit further abuses of power and his actions will become the new normal.”
The impeachment process, Flores-Quilty added, “is our tool to stop what we cannot tolerate and we demand a government that serves the interests of the people instead of dangerous and corrupt politicians like Trump.”
This isn't an #ImpeachmentVote, it's just the first step – the formal beginning of the public stage of investigation.
No one is above the law. Democrats must hold Trump accountable, and must do it quickly. https://t.co/W0fkq3WvKE
— CREDO Mobile (@CREDOMobile) October 31, 2019
“This resolution ensures transparency, advancing public disclosure of deposition transcripts, and outlying the procedures for the transfer of evidence to the judiciary committee to use in its proceedings,” said Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who presided over the final vote, during her remarks during the floor debate ahead of the tally.
“It enables effective public hearings setting out procedures for the questioning of witnesses and continuing the precedent of giving the minority the same rights in questioning witnesses as the majority,” she continued. “Which has been true at every step of this inquiry despite what you might hear.”
Watch the debate and vote:
“Today’s vote is a defining moment for every member of the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause, in a statement released just ahead of the vote.
“History is watching as Republican Members will weigh the choice of casting a vote for their country or for their party,” Hobert Flynn added. “Amidst a growing list of witnesses testifying about shocking abuses of power by the Trump administration and the president’s inner circle and seismic shifts in public disapproval of the president’s conduct, this is the first time many Members will be asked to cast a formal vote that will put them on the right — or wrong — side of history.”
Truthout Is Preparing to Meet Trump’s Agenda With Resistance at Every Turn
Dear Truthout Community,
If you feel rage, despondency, confusion and deep fear today, you are not alone. We’re feeling it too. We are heartsick. Facing down Trump’s fascist agenda, we are desperately worried about the most vulnerable people among us, including our loved ones and everyone in the Truthout community, and our minds are racing a million miles a minute to try to map out all that needs to be done.
We must give ourselves space to grieve and feel our fear, feel our rage, and keep in the forefront of our mind the stark truth that millions of real human lives are on the line. And simultaneously, we’ve got to get to work, take stock of our resources, and prepare to throw ourselves full force into the movement.
Journalism is a linchpin of that movement. Even as we are reeling, we’re summoning up all the energy we can to face down what’s coming, because we know that one of the sharpest weapons against fascism is publishing the truth.
There are many terrifying planks to the Trump agenda, and we plan to devote ourselves to reporting thoroughly on each one and, crucially, covering the movements resisting them. We also recognize that Trump is a dire threat to journalism itself, and that we must take this seriously from the outset.
After the election, the four of us sat down to have some hard but necessary conversations about Truthout under a Trump presidency. How would we defend our publication from an avalanche of far right lawsuits that seek to bankrupt us? How would we keep our reporters safe if they need to cover outbreaks of political violence, or if they are targeted by authorities? How will we urgently produce the practical analysis, tools and movement coverage that you need right now — breaking through our normal routines to meet a terrifying moment in ways that best serve you?
It will be a tough, scary four years to produce social justice-driven journalism. We need to deliver news, strategy, liberatory ideas, tools and movement-sparking solutions with a force that we never have had to before. And at the same time, we desperately need to protect our ability to do so.
We know this is such a painful moment and donations may understandably be the last thing on your mind. But we must ask for your support, which is needed in a new and urgent way.
We promise we will kick into an even higher gear to give you truthful news that cuts against the disinformation and vitriol and hate and violence. We promise to publish analyses that will serve the needs of the movements we all rely on to survive the next four years, and even build for the future. We promise to be responsive, to recognize you as members of our community with a vital stake and voice in this work.
Please dig deep if you can, but a donation of any amount will be a truly meaningful and tangible action in this cataclysmic historical moment.
We’re with you. Let’s do all we can to move forward together.
With love, rage, and solidarity,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy