The House voted Wednesday afternoon to officially transfer the articles of impeachment to the Senate.
The 228-193 vote also deputized seven Democrats to prosecute the case against President Trump in the upcoming Senate trial and allocates the use of funds for the trial.
Democrats used the opportunity to make another stand on the House floor to argue their case that the allegations against Mr. Trump merit a danger to the country.
“President Trump put his own personal interests above the national interests, above our national security, and if not stopped, he will do it again,” House Intelligence Chairman Adam B. Schiff said.
“The appropriate remedy, indeed the only remedy, is the conviction and removal from office of President Donald Trump,” he added.
Republicans, on the other hand, continued to attack the process of the investigations, which they said were rigged against them and the president.
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They also hammered the Democrats for holding on to the articles for nearly four weeks.
“If impeachment was truly as urgent as Democrats claimed, the majority should not have waited for the speaker to choose a politically convenient time,” Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended her decision.
“Don’t talk to me about my timing. For a long time I resisted the calls for impeachment,” she said. “He crossed a threshold. He gave us no choice.”
The articles will be delivered in a formal procession from the House to the Senate later Wednesday evening.
House Democrats held off sending the articles for 27 days, most of which was spent over the holiday break, in an unprecedented standoff between the two chambers.
Democrats demanded Republicans include new witnesses and documents in the trial, which is ultimately proceeding without any such guarantees. Republicans have said their proceedings will begin opening arguments and initial questions from senators, after which they will vote to determine whether or not more witnesses are needed.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he expects the trial to begin next Tuesday.
Last month, the House voted along party lines to impeach Mr. Trump on two counts — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — stemming from allegations that he leveraged presidential powers to pressure Ukraine to open investigations into former Vice President Joseph R. Biden and Ukraine meddling in the 2016 election.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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