House impeaches President Trump, what happens next?
Trump impeached by US House on charge of abuse of power, obstruction of Congress
President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday night, becoming only the third American chief executive to be formally charged under the Constitution’s ultimate remedy for high crimes and misdemeanors.
OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - After a historic vote by the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach President Donald J. Trump, making him the third president in history to be charged with committing high crimes and misdemeanors, there's confusion around what happens next.
The vote Wednesday night fell largely on party lines for two articles of impeachment against Trump over claims he abused his power by enlisting a foreign nation to investigate a political opponent in the 2020 election and that he obstructed Congress by refusing to cooperate with the impeachment investigation.
The House vote is only part of the impeachment process and doesn't mean President Trump will be removed from office. The proceedings give way to a Senate trial, but there's uncertainty on the timeframe after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declined to say when or whether she would even send the charges to the GOP-held Senate, The Associated Press reports.
Pelosi said Thursday, that she would send the impeachment articles to the Senate, but not before Republican leaders provide more detail on how the trial will run.
As it stands, the Senate trial is expected to begin in January, where a two-thirds vote is necessary to convict Trump. But according to NPR, there is chatter among Senate Republicans to acquit Trump.