Joe Biden calls for Donald Trump’s impeachment, saying president ‘has indicted himself’
- Trump hits back on Twitter, reiterating claims that ‘Sleepy Joe Biden’ and son had improper dealings in Ukraine and China
- Biden had previously refrained from calling outright for impeachment, saying he would let Congress do its job
US Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden called for the impeachment of his potential 2020 election foe Donald Trump for the first time on Wednesday, as a partisan fight over a congressional investigation of the Republican president deepened.
Biden, who is at the centre of a controversy over Trump’s dealings with Ukraine that led congressional Democrats to open an impeachment inquiry, had so far refrained from making an outright plea for impeachment. He said in an opinion piece over the weekend that he would let Congress do its job on impeachment.
During a campaign stop in New Hampshire, the current Democratic front-runner to face Trump in the presidential election took the gloves off.
“With his words and his actions, President Trump has indicted himself. By obstructing justice, refusing to reply with a congressional inquiry, he’s already convicted himself,” Biden said. “In full view of the world and the American people, Donald Trump has violated his oath of office, betrayed this nation and committed impeachable acts.”
“To preserve our Constitution, our democracy, our basic integrity, he should be impeached.”
Trump responded in real time on Twitter, using one of his nicknames for Biden.