Trump impeachment report released by House panel

WASHINGTON — The House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday released a report documenting the impeachment case against President Donald Trump, laying out the conclusions of its inquiry into allegations that he abused his power by pressuring Ukraine to help him in the 2020 presidential election and then impeded attempts by Congress to investigate.

The report is based on two months of public and private testimony from diplomats and other administration officials who described a campaign by the president and his allies to get Ukraine to announce investigations of former Vice President Joe Biden and other Democrats, while withholding nearly $400 million in military assistance and a White House meeting for Ukraine’s president.

The report’s approval, expected Tuesday evening, will set in motion the next phase in the impeachment of Trump, accelerating a constitutional clash that has happened only three times in the nation’s history. Both parties are poised for a fierce, partisan debate in the House Judiciary Committee over whether to draft articles of impeachment — most likely based on the evidence in the report — that could go to the House for a vote before Christmas.

If a majority of the House voted to approve articles of impeachment, the president would be impeached. The proceedings would then move to the Senate for a trial.