HOUSE Democrats who are leading an impeachment proceeding against U.S. President Donald Trump planned to announce articles of impeachment yesterday local time, several media outlets reported Monday night.

Two articles of impeachment focusing on abuse of power and obstructing Congress are expected to be unveiled, according to The Washington Post, citing sources who also cautioned the plan had not been finalized.

Under the current plan, the House Judiciary Committee, which is responsible for writing articles of impeachment, would vote on the articles tomorrow, the newspaper reported.

A full House vote will take place next week, according to the report.

The news broke out only hours after the House Judiciary panel concluded its second and final hearing in the Trump impeachment proceeding.

The marathon hearing that lasted nearly 10 hours allowed the attorneys to present their findings from the first phase of the investigation, which provided conflicting accounts of Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, as Democrats and Republicans reiterated their positions.

In his closing statement Monday evening, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler accused Trump of having “put himself before his country.”

“I am struck by the fact that my Republican colleagues have offered no serious scrutiny of the evidence at hand. They have talked about everything else, but they have offered not one substantive word in the president’s defense,” the Democrat said.

Doug Collins, the top Republican on the panel, said it will “be the first impeachment that is partisan, and facts are not agreed to.”

House Democrats have been looking into whether Trump abused his office by pressuring Ukraine into launching investigations that could benefit him politically.

Lawmakers have also been examining whether the Republican conditioned a White House meeting or military aid to Ukraine on those probes.

The White House has not participated in the impeachment proceeding, accusing Democrats of an unfair process.

Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing or a “quid pro quo,” tweeted Monday that he believes the impeachment proceeding is “a disgrace.”

According to the nation’s constitution, the House shall have the sole power of impeachment, while the Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments.

Trump will be impeached if the House approves any of the articles of impeachment the House Judiciary Committee has recommended by a simple majority vote.

But conviction can only happen in the Senate and requires at least two-thirds of its members, or 67 senators, to vote in favor after a trial. Currently, the Senate has 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and two independents.

(Xinhua)