By Robin Bravender | Arizona Mirror
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee approved two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump Friday morning along party lines, setting up a likely vote next week in the full House.
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The Judiciary Committee voted 23-17 entirely along party lines to advance the two articles, which charge Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in response to allegations that he improperly pressured Ukraine’s president to interfere in the 2020 U.S. presidential election and blocked lawmakers’ efforts to investigate the incident.
Arizona Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton voted yes on both articles; Arizona Republicans Andy Biggs and Debbie Lesko opposed both articles.
The roll call vote came after two days of heated sparring among members on the committee. Democrats declared that Trump gave them no choice but to move ahead on the impeachment articles. Republicans, meanwhile, remained steadfast in their defense of the president, arguing that Democrats had their sights set on impeachment since Trump’s inauguration. Biggs and Lesko, in particular, have emerged as prominent Trump defenders during the impeachment hearings.
