Trump faces first impeachment effort in his second term as Dem Rep brings seven articles against him

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump is facing seven long-shot articles of impeachment from Democratic Rep Shri Thanedar, marking the first such effort in his second term.

The POTUS was impeached twice during his first term for pressuring Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and inciting violence that led to the January 6 Capitol riots.

Trump faces fresh impeachment effort from House Democrat

Thanedar said in a statement on Monday, April 28, that Trump is "unfit to serve as President and represents a clear and present danger to our nation's constitution and our democracy," according to Axios.

The representative cited Trump's "sweeping abuse of power, flagrant violations of the Constitution, and acts of tyranny that undermine American democracy and threaten the rule of law" as reasons for the move, per the outlet.

"His unlawful actions have subverted the justice system, violated the separation of powers, and placed personal power and self-interest above public service. We cannot wait for more damage to be done. Congress must act," Thanedar said in a statement.

The resolution outlines seven articles of impeachment such as Obstruction of Justice and Abuse of Executive Power, Usurpation of Appropriations Power, Abuse of Trade Powers and International Aggression, Violation of First Amendment Rights.

The other three articles of impeachment are Creation of an Unlawful Office, Bribery and Corruption, and Tyrannical Overreach.

Interestingly, the measures are most probably going nowhere, as the Republicans are in control of both the House and Senate, Axios reported.

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a press conference on Monday, "I haven't evaluated the articles. I haven't even had an opportunity to talk with him about it."

Efforts to impeach Trump in the past

In 2019, Trump was impeached over allegations he improperly sought help from Ukraine to boost his chances of re-election, according to BBC.

The president was accused of breaking the law by putting pressure on Ukraine's leader to dig up damaging information on a political rival, per the outlet.

In July 2019, Trump urged his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate one of the frontrunners to take him on in the 2020 presidential election. 

In August 2019, an anonymous intelligence official wrote a letter expressing concern over President Trump's 25 July phone conversation with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The complaint stated that Trump had threatened to withhold US foreign aid money until Zelensky promised to investigate Hunter Biden, son of former President Joe Biden, for suspicious dealings in Ukraine, according to History.

Trump was impeached for the first time on December 18, 2019, as the House of Representatives adopted two articles of impeachment against Trump, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

He became only the third president ever to be impeached, joining Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton.

After Trump was impeached in December, a trial took place that could have removed the President. However, he was cleared, per BBC.

In January 2021, Trump became the first president in US history to be impeached twice, after being charged with "incitement of insurrection" for the deadly Capitol riot.

The House of Representatives accused Trump of encouraging violence with his false claims of election fraud, according to BBC.

In February 2021, the US Senate acquitted⁰ Trump. A majority of senators voted to convict Trump, 57 to 43, including seven Republicans.

However, two-thirds, or 67 votes, were needed to convict.

GOP senators Richard Burr of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania voted to convict Trump, according to NPR.