House Judiciary Committee approves articles of impeachment with party-line votes

The House Judiciary Committee approved two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in a pair of party-line votes on Friday morning.

One article of impeachment is for alleged abuse of power in the administration's interactions with Ukraine earlier this year; the other is for obstruction of Congress during the House's subsequent investigation into the Ukraine controversy. Both were introduced by House Democrats earlier this week.

The committee voted on each article of impeachment separately, passing each by a party-line vote of 23 to 17, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed.

Friday morning's vote came after two days of heated committee deliberations over the articles, during which Republicans offered multiple amendments to the language, none of which were adopted.

Late Thursday night, committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., halted the proceedings and moved the vote to the following morning, saying that he wanted legislators "to think about what has happened over these last two days and to search their consciences before we cast our final votes."

Top committee Republican Doug Collins, Ga., criticized the decision as a "bush-league stunt," arguing that he and his colleagues weren't consulted about the change.

In brief remarks following the vote, Nadler said, "Today is a solemn and sad day" and that "the House will act expeditiously" on the matter.

In his own-post vote remarks, Collins criticized "the folly of articles of impeachment that allege no crime and establish no case."

"Today is a travesty for our country," Republican committee member Debbie Lesko said. "Democrats are tearing our country apart with their sham impeachment, and they should be ashamed."

The articles will now go to the full House of Representatives, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has said that the House will vote on the issue "next week."

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