This archive report was first published on 31 October 2019.
On October 31, 2019, the US House of Representatives voted to advance the impeachment process against President Donald Trump, marking a significant step in the inquiry into his alleged extortion scheme to obtain Ukraine's help to get re-elected in 2020.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, "Today the House takes the next step forward as we establish the procedures for open hearings...so that the public can see the facts for themselves."
The landmark resolution, which passed with a vote of 232 to 196, lays out rules for the next stages of the impeachment process, including open hearings and the presentation of witnesses and documentary evidence.
Trump has repeatedly branded the process as illegitimate and politically motivated, and his reaction was swift, with him retweeting a rallying cry from Fox News host Laura Ingraham that called on Republicans to "stand together and defend the leader of their party against these smears."
Trump is accused of withholding military aid to compel Ukraine to mount an embarrassing corruption probe against his Democratic election rival Joe Biden, effectively using US foreign policy in an illegal shakedown for his personal political benefit.
The inquiry now moves into the public eye, giving Americans the chance to hear on live television the evidence against Trump.
