Senate receives Trump impeachment articles

The US House of Representatives sent articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate on Wednesday, charging him with of abuse of power and obstructing a Congress investigation.

The House approved a resolution to transmit two articles of impeachment on a mostly party-line vote of 228-193. Trump became the third president in US history to be impeached.

“We are here today to cross a very important threshold in American history,” House speaker Nancy Pelosi said before a vote to transmit the articles.

Pelosi held off on transmitting for nearly a month in an effort to pressure for admittance of new witnesses and fresh evidence during the Senate trial.

US supreme court chief justice John Roberts is scheduled to join the proceedings and be sworn in for his presiding role at the trial. He then will swear in the 100 senators – 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and two independents – as jurors.

For Trump to be convicted and removed from the White House a two-thirds majority is required - which would appear unlikely as the Republicans control the Senate.

The White House released a statement on Wednesday that said “President Trump has done nothing wrong” and “expects to be fully exonerated”.