Biden calls for Trump's impeachment for the 1st time
Former Vice President Joe Biden for the first time is calling for President Trump's impeachment, and the pushback from Trump didn't take long.
Biden in a speech Wednesday officially called for Trump to be impeached after stopping short of doing so throughout his 2020 campaign.
"Trump has violated his oath of office, betrayed this nation, and committed impeachable acts," Biden said. "To preserve our Constitution, our democracy, our basic integrity, he should be impeached."
Previously, the furthest Biden had gone was to say that Congress would be left with "no choice" but to begin impeachment proceedings if he doesn't stop "stonewalling" its investigation, but he said in September, "He could be impeached, but I'm not making that judgment now."
Trump was evidently watching Biden's speech live, as he took to Twitter to fire off a response in real time, calling Biden's endorsement of impeachment "pathetic" in a tweet sent while Biden was still speaking. "Joe's Failing Campaign gave him no other choice!" Trump tweeted. Biden quickly responded, "Thanks for watching. Stop stonewalling the Congress. Honor your oath. Respect the Constitution."
Joe Biden: "With his words and his actions, President Trump has indicted himself ... Trump has violated his oath of office, betrayed this nation, and committed impeachable acts. To preserve our Constitution, our democracy, our basic integrity, he should be impeached."
Via ABC pic.twitter.com/cFz0tXBOjZ— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 9, 2019