[McClatchyDC] Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., has introduced formal articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, accusing him of obstruction of justice.Sherman, who first drafted the articles in June, formally introduced H.R. 438 on the House floor on Wednesday.
Other Democrats have expressed concern about Sherman’s effort to impeach Trump over possible ties to Russia, and the resolution had only one cosponsor, Rep. Al Green, D-Tex. A successful vote for impeachment would require a majority in the House, where Republicans have 46 more seats than Democrats.
The articles accuse Trump of violating "his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of president of the United States." Trump "has prevented, obstructed and impeded the administration of justice during a federal investigation," Sherman’s resolution says.
Both chambers of Congress as well as a special prosecutor appointed by the Department of Justice are investigating Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election and possible collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign.
The president has denied any known efforts on behalf of his campaign to work with Russia to defeat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in last November's election. But the investigations and accusations of wrongdoing have dogged his six-month-old administration, with recent revelations about a meeting taken by his eldest son last June further preventing the White House from successfully putting the story to rest.
Donald Trump Jr. met last year with a Russian lawyer, an encounter set up by an acquaintance who claimed Natalia Veselnitskaya could provide the Trump campaign with damaging information about Clinton. After The New York Times over the weekend reported the meeting, Trump Jr. on Tuesday released a copy of his email exchange with the acquaintance, Rob Goldstone, a music promoter.
In the emails, Goldstone tells Trump Jr. the information is "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump." Trump Jr. responded, "If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer."
Trump has defended his son as "a quality person" and Trump Jr. said he did nothing wrong in taking the meeting, which he said ultimately yielded no useful information.
The articles of impeachment introduced Wednesday accuse Trump of knowingly trying to shut down the FBI investigation of his campaign activities and firing former director James Comey as part of that effort.
"In all of this, Donald John Trump has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as president and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States," the articles read. "Wherefore, Donald John Trump, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office."
Keep digging your graves guys.