13 December – choosing the articles of impeachment

It took a lot of debate (and by debate we mean arguing) for those two articles of impeachment – abuse of power and obstruction of Congress – to be passed by the the House Judiciary Committee. The House Judiciary Committee is a committee within the House of Representatives that oversees the administration of justice within the federal courts, administrative agencies and federal law enforcement entities. The vote then goes to the larger House of Representatives

18 December – Nancy Pelosi announces the articles of impeachment

On 18 December the House of Representatives eventually voted in favour of the two articles of impeachment. As the votes are passed, Pelosi sternly warns the Democrats in the chamber not to cheer or clap. She makes a short speech, saying: “If we do not act now, we would be derelict in our duty. It is tragic that the president’s reckless actions make impeachment necessary. He gave us no choice.”

She added: “When the president’s wrongdoing was revealed he launched an unprecedented, indiscriminate and categorical campaign of defiance and obstruction.” Pelosi also accused Trump of considering himself “above the law”.

19 December – Vladimir Putin’s reaction

At his annual end-of-the-year press conference on 19 December, Russian president Vladimir Putin described the charges against Trump as “absolutely far-fetched” and “made up” by the Democrats to try and get Trump out of the White House. A quick explainer about Ukraine: since 2014 Ukraine and Russia have been fighting over Ukraine’s sovereignty, particularly in the Crimean Peninsula. President Barack Obama supported Ukraine in its independence from Russia (in the form of military aid). Trump, on the other hand, seems to have a closer relationship with Putin.

Donald Trump impeachment timeline: explaining how and why POTUS Trump was impeached, step-by-step