Democrats accuse Trump of 'criminal' conduct in Judiciary Committee impeachment report

(Image credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

published 16 December 2019

Bribery didn't work its way into the House's articles of impeachment, but the Democrat-led House Judiciary Committee accused President Trump of the crime anyway in a 658-page report released Monday.

The committee notes that while proof of a crime isn't necessary to impeach a president, Trump pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rivals registered as offenses "both constitutional and criminal in nature." The committee specifically mentioned bribery, which is an impeachable offense but won't be voted on as such by the House this week.

Still, the committee said there is "little doubt" the constitutional definition of the crime can be "satsified" considering Trump solicited a favor of personal value to him from Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky in an attempt to benefit himself and his political future. The committee's report will be considered by the full House when it goes to vote, so it's likely the bribery section will have some influence despite getting left out of the articles. Tim O'Donnell

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox