Washington - Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of
Representatives, on Friday said the House will move next week to
transfer articles of impeachment to the Senate for President Donald
Trump's trial.
The top House Democrat said she told Judiciary Committee Chairman
Jerry Nadler to be prepared to bring a resolution to the floor next
week to appoint managers and transmit articles of impeachment to the
Senate.
In Friday's statement to her Democratic colleagues, she added that
she would consult with them on Tuesday on how to proceed.
Last month, Trump became the third president in US history to be
impeached by the House of Representatives. The Democrat-controlled
chamber voted to impeach Trump on charges of abuse of power and
obstruction of Congress over his handling of military aid to Ukraine.
The Republican-controlled Senate is set to conduct the impeachment
trial and then vote to determine whether Trump should be removed from
office or acquitted.
Pelosi has held the articles of impeachment from being sent to the
Senate, saying she wants guarantees from Republicans about the
conduct of the trial, including whether witnesses will be introduced,
before transferring the articles.
She has not received such assurances from Republicans. Mitch
McConnell, the majority leader in the Senate, has said he wants to
determine if witnesses will testify after both sides have presented
their case.