Top US Democrat Nancy Pelosi Tuesday announced the opening of a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, saying he betrayed his oath of office by seeking help from a foreign power to hurt his Democratic rival Joe Biden.
The dramatic move -- the first step in a complex process that stands little chance of driving Trump from office -- pushed US politics into a perilous new chapter just 14 months before new elections for control of the White House and Congress.
Following the bombshell developments from Trump Tower in New York -- after addressing the UN General Assembly -- the president denounced the inquiry as "Witch Hunt garbage" -- while also claiming it would help his re-election chances in 2020.
"The actions of the Trump presidency revealed the dishonourable facts of the president's betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections," Pelosi told a highly-anticipated news conference in the US capital.
"Therefore, today I'm announcing the House of Representatives moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry."
"We have a president who believes there is no limit to his power," Biden told a news conference. "We have a president who believes he is above the law."
"If he continues to obstruct Congress and flaunt the law, Donald Trump leaves Congress in my view no choice but to initiate impeachment," Biden said. "That would be a tragedy, but a tragedy of his own making."
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