US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has today confirmed that formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump will go ahead.
Ms Pelosi had resisted calls for an impeachment inquiry for months, but as more members of her caucus pressed for a probe — including crucial moderates in political swing districts — Ms Pelosi confirmed the step.
At issue is a summer phone call Trump had with Ukraine's president, which came to Congress' attention through a whistleblower complaint.
Trump has insisted he did nothing wrong in the call, but has suggested he raised Biden and his son Hunter as part of discussions over corruption in Ukraine — despite no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of either man.
In a speech this morning at 9am, New Zealand time, Ms Pelosi said that "no one is above the law".
"The actions taken to date by the president have seriously violated the Constitution, especially when the president said 'Article 2 says I can do whatever I want'," Ms Pelosi said.
The decision by top Democrat Nancy Pelosi comes after growing demand from her party. (Source: Other)
"For the past several months we have been investigating in our committees and litigating in the courts so the house can gather all the relevant facts and consider whether to exercise its full Article 1 powers, including a constitutional power of the utmost gravity - approval of articles of impeachment.
"This week the President has admitted to asking the President of Ukraine to take actions which would benefit him politically.
"The actions of the Trump presidency revealed the dishonorable fact of the president's betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security, and betrayal of the integrity of our elections.
"Therefore today I'm announcing that the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry."
Ms Pelosi's decision sets up her party's most urgent and consequential confrontation with a president who thrives on combat, and it injects deep uncertainty in the 2020 White House race.
Trump, who was meeting with world leaders at the United Nations, called the impending inquiry a "witch hunt" and predicted it would be a "positive for me."
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