The House Judiciary Committee approved two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump Friday morning, after postponing a vote late Thursday night. The panel met for more than 14 hours Thursday in a debate that split sharply along party lines.
The charges now go to the full House for an expected vote next week. Thursday's marathon session went until around 11:00 p.m. EST.
Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. said the committee would go into recess until 10:00 a.m. Friday morning. Gasps were heard after Nadler's announcement Thursday night, with Republican representatives yelling "unbelievable" and "they just want to be on TV." Congress was not meant to be in session Friday. Many representatives had plans, some outside of Washington D.C.
“It is now very late at night,” Nadler said. “I want the members on both sides of the aisle to think about what has happened over these past two days and to search their consciences before they cast their final votes.”
Thursday's debates saw Republicans calling the entire impeachment proceedings a "farce." A lengthy debate was had as Republicans insisted on votes on a series of amendments aimed at killing the charges against Trump.
Trump is accused in the first article of abusing his presidential power when he asked Ukraine to investigate 2020 democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Trump is accused of holding military aid as leverage against Ukraine.
The second article against Trump accuses him of obstructing congress by withholding documents and hindering the House's efforts to investigate his actions.
Trump has denied doing anything wrong and has refused to participate in the proceedings.
This desperate charade of an impeachment inquiry in the House Judiciary Committee has reached its shameful end," White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. "The President looks forward to receiving in the Senate the fair treatment and due process which continues to be disgracefully denied to him by the House."
Early Friday, he tweeted his approval of the Republican effort, calling the GOP lawmakers on the panel “warriors.”
"The Republicans House members were fantastic yesterday," he wrote. "It always helps to have a much better case, in fact the Dems have no case at all, but the unity & sheer brilliance of these Republican warriors, all of them, was a beautiful sight to see. Dems had no answers and wanted out!"