Russian President Vladimir Putin defended Donald Trump after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach the U.S. president for just the third time in history, saying the allegations that Trump withheld U.S. military aid to extort Ukraine into investigating his politic rival “dreamt up.”
Said Putin: “I am not so sure his presidency is ending. This is an example of partisan infighting. The party who lost the election, [the Democrats], is using other methods to achieve their goals. They accused him of plotting with Russia, and when that turned out not to be true, they made up pressure on Ukraine. If you want to support Ukraine, give them money, but not at our expense.”
The Washington Post reports: “The House voted 230 to 197 to approve the article charging abuse of power, with the gavel falling about 8:30 p.m. On the obstruction of Congress vote, which followed soon after, the tally was 229 to 198. All Republicans voted against both articles. Among Democrats, two voted no on the first article and three on the second, with one — Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) — voting ‘present' both times.”
The Daily Beast reports: “For Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, however, the question of whether to vote for the president to be tried on charges of obstruction of Congress and abuse of power was apparently not worth answering. … In a statement released after she voted ‘present' on both articles, Gabbard said that because she ‘could not in good conscience vote either yes or no… I am standing in the center and have decided to vote ‘Present.'' Gabbard blamed both sides of the House for turning the impeachment inquiry into a ‘partisan endeavor,' blasting Trump's defenders as having ‘abdicated their responsibility to exercise legitimate oversight,' and the president's critics of using ‘extreme rhetoric.' ‘My vote today is a vote for much needed reconciliation and hope that together we can heal our country,' Gabbard concluded.”
The WaPo adds: “After Wednesday's votes, Pelosi left open the possibility of delaying a procedural step that triggers a Senate trial, saying she might not name House impeachment managers and deliver the articles to the Senate unless Republicans there establish a “fair” process. In doing so, Pelosi was effectively attempting to gain leverage over the Senate's process for weighing the charges against Trump.”
