Democrats begin impeachment inquiry into Trump

Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Tuesday that the House will begin a formal impeachment inquiry of President Trump over startling allegations that he sought to enlist a foreign power for his own political gain.

“The president must be held accountable,” she said, “No one is above the law.”

Impeachment 101: If the House votes on a simple majority to impeach, the proceedings then move to the Senate. If at least two-thirds of the senators find the president guilty, he is removed, and the vice president takes over.

Only three presidents in history have been subjected to impeachment proceedings. Two of them were impeached — Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998 — but completed their terms in office and Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 to avoid being impeached.

The Ukraine controversy: Mr. Trump has admitted to discussing the former vice president, Joe Biden, with the Ukrainian president in a phone call in July, raising suspicions that he was pressing for an investigation that would provide dirt on his political rival .