Since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi commenced the impeachment inquiry into president Donald Trump over a potentially criminal phone call between Trump and Ukraine president Volodimir Zelensky, a whole slew of evidence has come forth from witnesses, and has been exposed through documents publicly released by government officials, and Congressional committees. This evidence clearly shows that an impeachable act occurred not just in the Ukraine call, but also during a slew of other phone calls, meetings and actions.

First, the call and the situations surrounding that call are clearly impeachable offences. First, Trump withheld congressionally appropriated aid to Ukraine, which is a constitutional violation as the Congress sets the budget, not the president. The duty of the president is to carry out the budget established by Congress each fiscal year. Second, withholding this aid and then demanding favors from Zelensky is clearly a quid pro quo, and one that does not benefit the United States as a whole. Demanding a single investigation into a political rival is for the benefit of only Trump’s campaign for 2020 and in no way is relevant to properly establishing American foreign policy.

The White House even admitted to a quid pro quo in the phone call, and to doing other quid pro quos. Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney openly stated during a press briefing that the reason for withholding the appropriated aid was to get Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. Also, when responding to another question, Mulvaney admitted that the call did show quid pro quo, and stated that, “we do that all the time with foreign policy.” With this admission, and the heap of evidence that Congress has accrued since the commencement of the inquiry, it is clear that Trump committed impeachable offences.

Trump has clearly committed impeachable offences, which high level White House officials have openly admitted to. The House of Representatives should pass articles of impeachment immediately, which should be grounded on the heap of evidence that has been accrued over the prior few months. There is enough evidence to proceed with articles already, and there is no reason for Congress to continue to delay the vote on articles of impeachment to collect more evidence, and therefore the House should pass these articles as soon as possible.