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House Votes to Impeach Trump for Obstruction of Congress (Article 2)

Occurred Dec 18, 2019 | Added Nov 15, 2025
📍 Washington, DC
✓ Stable
Elections/Voting Legislative Branch
📰 6 Sources
👥 431 People

Description

Summary of Article II: Obstruction of Congress
The second Article of Impeachment, Obstruction of Congress, charged President Trump with systematically hindering the House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry.

The Charge: The article alleged that President Trump directed the White House and executive branch agencies, officials, and subordinates to defy subpoenas for documents and testimony related to the Ukraine investigation. This was viewed by proponents as an unprecedented and sweeping refusal to comply with a constitutional impeachment inquiry, thus obstructing the legislative branch's oversight function.

The Context: This charge arose from the administration's response to the investigation into allegations that President Trump had leveraged U.S. military aid and a White House meeting to pressure Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce investigations into political rival Joe Biden and a discredited theory about 2016 election interference.

The Vote: The article was adopted by the House of Representatives in a nearly party-line vote on the evening of December 18, 2019.

Sources (6)

Guardian • Dec 19, 2025
Trump Becomes Third President Impeached as House Votes Along Party Lines
Comprehensive coverage of the historic impeachment vote, contextualizing it within the broader constitutional framework and providing detailed political analysis. The article effectively captures the partisan nature of the proceedings while explaining the underlying Ukraine scandal and next steps in the Senate.
New York Times • Dec 18, 2025
Live Tracking: How Every House Member Voted on Trump Impeachment
Interactive coverage tracking individual representative votes in real-time, with particular focus on the few Democrats who broke party lines. Provides valuable data-driven analysis of the voting patterns and highlights the predetermined nature of the outcome.
CBS News • Dec 18, 2025
House Approves Second Trump Impeachment Article on Obstruction
This CBS live update focuses specifically on the second article of impeachment vote results, providing detailed vote tallies and identifying specific Democrats who broke ranks, including the strategic considerations of representatives from Republican-leaning districts.
Other
additional info on impeachment
Other
696 roll call vote
Other
First Impeachment of Donald Trump: Complete Historical Record
Comprehensive encyclopedic entry documenting the entire impeachment process from investigation through Senate acquittal. Provides detailed background on the Ukraine scandal, systematic chronology of events, and places the impeachment in broader historical context alongside previous presidential impeachments.

People Linked (431)

Key individuals: Ralph Abraham, Alma Adams, Robert Aderholt, Pete Aguilar, Rick Allen, Colin Allred, and 425 more
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📋 Why This Entry Is Included

Constitutional Disputes
constitutional-challenges
Events that challenge established interpretations of separation of powers, federalism, or specific constitutional clauses.
Curator's Justification
Trump's impeachment directly involved allegations of violating his constitutional oath of office by soliciting foreign interference in U.S. elections. The House formally determined that his actions constituted "high crimes and misdemeanors" warranting removal from office under the Constitution's impeachment provisions.

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