Donald Trump refuses to rule out SHUTTING DOWN government if Democrats continue impeachment probe
DONALD Trump has refused to rule out shutting down the US government if Democrats don’t halt the impeachment inquiry into him.
The US President said yesterday “we’ll see what happens” when asked about the possibility about federal agencies being shuttered.
If the government is suspended, it would be the second time in 12 months following the record 35-day stalemate from December to January.
Democrats are concerned President Trump could trigger another shutdown as a “diversion” from the ongoing Ukraine scandal.
Speaking outside the White House on Sunday, Mr Trump added: “I wouldn’t commit to anything. It depends on what the negotiations are.”
Federal agencies grind to a halt if government spending plans cannot be agreed by Congress.
BUDGET DEADLINE
Lawmakers have until November 22 to reach a fresh budget deal or another shutdown will commence.
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers were furloughed or put on unpaid leave during the last shutdown.
That government collapse was triggered over a row about funding for the US-Mexico border wall.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, a leading anti-Trump Democrat, said last week he was “increasingly worried” about the possibility of a fresh shutdown.
‘DIVERSION TACTIC’
He added: “I hope and pray he won’t want to cause another government shutdown because it might be a diversion away from impeachment.“
Trump faces the threat of being the first US president to be thrown from office as impeachment proceedings rumble on.
He is accused of pressuring a foreign government to help with his reelection effort over a July call to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
In that call, Trump asked for a “favour” in investigating unsubstantiated claims of corruption involving former Vice President and 2020 Democrat contender Joe Biden.
At the same time, Trump’s top aides were allegedly instructed to withhold military aid from Ukraine in its on-going conflict with Russia.
BIDEN PROBE
According to Trump, Biden pressured Ukraine’s government to drop a probe into the business activities of his son Hunter, who was on the board of an energy company based there.
The House of Representatives inquiry is the first stage in the impeachment process and a trial could be held in the Senate to establish if the US President is guilty of so-called “high crimes and misdemeanours”.
Two-thirds of Senators must vote in favour of impeaching Trump for him to removed.
Democrats are expected to wrap up the closed-door testimony in coming weeks and begin public hearings.
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An ABC News/Washington Post poll on Friday found 49 per cent of Americans believe Trump should be impeached.
But despite the current controversy, Trump’s approval ratings have remained stable throughout the impeachment investigation.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and defended his Zelenskiy call as “perfect,” accusing Democrats of unfairly targeting him.
What is impeachment of the President of the United States?
Impeachment is a formal charge of serious wrongdoing against sitting a President.
It is one of the few ways they can be kicked out of the White House before an election.
The US Constitution states a President “shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanours”.
Presidents from George Washington onwards have often threatened with impeachment but usually their political opponents have lacked the will or support to carry it out.
The initial stage of the process comes in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress, which has “sole power of impeachment”.
The House votes on whether the President should face the impeachment and a simple majority is required for that to go ahead.
Then the case would be tried by the Senate, the upper chamber of Congress, where a two-thirds majority is needed.
Only two Presidents in history have been impeached.
The most recent was Bill Clinton, who was impeached in the House on charges of perjury and obstructing justice in 1998.
It related to his denials of an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
However, when the trial reached the Senate, it failed to get close to the two-thirds backing it needed to remove him from office.
The other was Andrew Johnson, who served as President for four years from 1865.
He was impeached by the House in 1868, just 11 days after he got rid of his secretary of war Edwin Stanton.
The two-thirds majority needed in the Senate was missed by just one vote.
Richard Nixon resigned before he could be impeached over the Watergate scandal.