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House votes to impeach President Trump

President Donald Trump on Wednesday became the third president in U.S. history to be impeached.  The vote breakdown for the first resolution, which was abuse of...

President Donald Trump on Wednesday became the third president in U.S. history to be impeached. 

The vote breakdown for the first resolution, which was abuse of power, was 230 in favor, 197 against, 1 present.

The vote breakdown for the second resolution, which was obstruction of Congress, was 229 in favor, 198 against, 1 present.

Presidential Candidate Tulsi Gabbard , D-Hawaii, was the one present vote.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visibly shushed her caucus after both articles were passed.

Here are five key questions and answers about this historic impeachment vote and where things go from here. Trump impeachment vote: What happens next?FEATURED BY

What are the articles of impeachment?

Abuse of power: The abuse of power charge focuses on the central charge that Trump abused his office for personal benefit by trying to get Ukraine to announce investigations into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden by withholding aid.   

Obstruction of Congress: The obstruction of Congress charge accuses Trump of directing members of the executive branch to not cooperate with Congress in their investigations into the first charge.

When is the impeachment vote?

The House of Representatives is scheduled to go back into sessions around 9 a.m. Eastern. The House will debate the two articles of impeachment for six hours and then vote on each one, under rules set forth Tuesday by the House Rules Committee. 

A simple majority in the House is all that’s needed to impeach a president, but then things move over to the Senate for an impeachment trial.  

What is President Trump planning to do while the House debates and votes on impeachment? 

Throughout the impeachment process President Donald Trump has maintained that he has done nothing wrong. The president said this week that he won’t be watching the House vote on impeachment. 

RELATED: VERIFY: What articles of impeachment mean and what comes next

He’s actually scheduled for a campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan on Wednesday night. It’s set to begin at 7 p.m. Eastern, which opens up the possibility that the president could be impeached during his reelection rally. 

Who are the other presidents that have been impeached?

Only two U.S. presidents, Andrew Johnson (1868) and Bill Clinton (1998), have been impeached before and neither was removed from office. 

RELATED: President Trump sends lengthy letter to Nancy Pelosi protesting impeachment

Articles of impeachment were drafted against Richard Nixon, but he resigned from office before an impeachment vote could occur. 

When is the Senate trial?

Now that the House of Representatives has voted to impeach President Donald Trump, the process moves to a formal Senate impeachment trial, presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. 

An official date for the trial has not yet been set, but it’s expected to take place sometime in January after lawmakers return from the holidays.  

It would take two-thirds of the Senate to vote guilty and remove the president from office. It only takes 34 senators to acquit the president. 


Rep. Steve King, R-Sioux City, was the only Representative from Iowa to voice an opinion at Wednesday’s impeachment debate.

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