[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 755 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>
H. Res. 755

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                     December 18, 2019.
Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes 
        and misdemeanors.
    Resolved, That Donald John Trump, President of the United States, is 
impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors and that the following articles of 
impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate:
    Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in the name of itself and of the people of the United 
States of America, against Donald John Trump, President of the United States of 
America, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against him for high 
crimes and misdemeanors.

                           article i: abuse of power 

    The Constitution provides that the House of Representatives ``shall have the 
sole Power of Impeachment'' and that the President ``shall be removed from 
Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high 
Crimes and Misdemeanors''. In his conduct of the office of President of the 
United States--and in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute 
the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, 
preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in 
violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully 
executed--Donald J. Trump has abused the powers of the Presidency, in that:
    Using the powers of his high office, President Trump solicited the 
interference of a foreign government, Ukraine, in the 2020 United States 
Presidential election. He did so through a scheme or course of conduct that 
included soliciting the Government of Ukraine to publicly announce 
investigations that would benefit his reelection, harm the election prospects of 
a political opponent, and influence the 2020 United States Presidential election 
to his advantage. President Trump also sought to pressure the Government of 
Ukraine to take these steps by conditioning official United States Government 
acts of significant value to Ukraine on its public announcement of the 
investigations. President Trump engaged in this scheme or course of conduct for 
corrupt purposes in pursuit of personal political benefit. In so doing, 
President Trump used the powers of the Presidency in a manner that compromised 
the national security of the United States and undermined the integrity of the 
United States democratic process. He thus ignored and injured the interests of 
the Nation.
    President Trump engaged in this scheme or course of conduct through the 
following means:
            (1) President Trump--acting both directly and through his agents 
        within and outside the United States Government--corruptly solicited the 
        Government of Ukraine to publicly announce investigations into--
                    (A) a political opponent, former Vice President Joseph R. 
                Biden, Jr.; and
                    (B) a discredited theory promoted by Russia alleging that 
                Ukraine--rather than Russia--interfered in the 2016 United 
                States Presidential election.
            (2) With the same corrupt motives, President Trump--acting both 
        directly and through his agents within and outside the United States 
        Government--conditioned two official acts on the public announcements 
        that he had requested--
                    (A) the release of $391 million of United States taxpayer 
                funds that Congress had appropriated on a bipartisan basis for 
                the purpose of providing vital military and security assistance 
                to Ukraine to oppose Russian aggression and which President 
                Trump had ordered suspended; and
                    (B) a head of state meeting at the White House, which the 
                President of Ukraine sought to demonstrate continued United 
                States support for the Government of Ukraine in the face of 
                Russian aggression.
            (3) Faced with the public revelation of his actions, President Trump 
        ultimately released the military and security assistance to the 
        Government of Ukraine, but has persisted in openly and corruptly urging 
        and soliciting Ukraine to undertake investigations for his personal 
        political benefit.
    These actions were consistent with President Trump's previous invitations of 
foreign interference in United States elections.
    In all of this, President Trump abused the powers of the Presidency by 
ignoring and injuring national security and other vital national interests to 
obtain an improper personal political benefit. He has also betrayed the Nation 
by abusing his high office to enlist a foreign power in corrupting democratic 
elections.
    Wherefore President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will 
remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain 
in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance 
and the rule of law. President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, 
removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, 
trust, or profit under the United States.

                      article ii: obstruction of congress 

    The Constitution provides that the House of Representatives ``shall have the 
sole Power of Impeachment'' and that the President ``shall be removed from 
Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high 
Crimes and Misdemeanors''. In his conduct of the office of President of the 
United States--and in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute 
the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, 
preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in 
violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully 
executed--Donald J. Trump has directed the unprecedented, categorical, and 
indiscriminate defiance of subpoenas issued by the House of Representatives 
pursuant to its ``sole Power of Impeachment''. President Trump has abused the 
powers of the Presidency in a manner offensive to, and subversive of, the 
Constitution, in that:
    The House of Representatives has engaged in an impeachment inquiry focused 
on President Trump's corrupt solicitation of the Government of Ukraine to 
interfere in the 2020 United States Presidential election. As part of this 
impeachment inquiry, the Committees undertaking the investigation served 
subpoenas seeking documents and testimony deemed vital to the inquiry from 
various Executive Branch agencies and offices, and current and former officials.
    In response, without lawful cause or excuse, President Trump directed 
Executive Branch agencies, offices, and officials not to comply with those 
subpoenas. President Trump thus interposed the powers of the Presidency against 
the lawful subpoenas of the House of Representatives, and assumed to himself 
functions and judgments necessary to the exercise of the ``sole Power of 
Impeachment'' vested by the Constitution in the House of Representatives.
    President Trump abused the powers of his high office through the following 
means:
            (1) Directing the White House to defy a lawful subpoena by 
        withholding the production of documents sought therein by the 
        Committees.
            (2) Directing other Executive Branch agencies and offices to defy 
        lawful subpoenas and withhold the production of documents and records 
        from the Committees--in response to which the Department of State, 
        Office of Management and Budget, Department of Energy, and Department of 
        Defense refused to produce a single document or record.
            (3) Directing current and former Executive Branch officials not to 
        cooperate with the Committees--in response to which nine Administration 
        officials defied subpoenas for testimony, namely John Michael ``Mick'' 
        Mulvaney, Robert B. Blair, John A. Eisenberg, Michael Ellis, Preston 
        Wells Griffith, Russell T. Vought, Michael Duffey, Brian McCormack, and 
        T. Ulrich Brechbuhl.
    These actions were consistent with President Trump's previous efforts to 
undermine United States Government investigations into foreign interference in 
United States elections.
    Through these actions, President Trump sought to arrogate to himself the 
right to determine the propriety, scope, and nature of an impeachment inquiry 
into his own conduct, as well as the unilateral prerogative to deny any and all 
information to the House of Representatives in the exercise of its ``sole Power 
of Impeachment''. In the history of the Republic, no President has ever ordered 
the complete defiance of an impeachment inquiry or sought to obstruct and impede 
so comprehensively the ability of the House of Representatives to investigate 
``high Crimes and Misdemeanors''. This abuse of office served to cover up the 
President's own repeated misconduct and to seize and control the power of 
impeachment--and thus to nullify a vital constitutional safeguard vested solely 
in the House of Representatives.
    In all of this, President Trump has acted in a manner contrary to his trust 
as President and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice 
of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of the 
United States.
    Wherefore, President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will 
remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has 
acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law. 
President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and 
disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under 
the United States.


                                        Speaker of the House of Representatives.

            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.