The House Judiciary Committee began the process of writing articles of impeachment for President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
A constitutional law scholar told a House impeachment panel Wednesday that Trump’s attempt to solicit a foreign investigation into his political opponent and his obstruction of congressional investigations amount to the worst presidential misconduct in history.
“The president’s serious misconduct, including bribery, soliciting a personal favor from a foreign leader in exchange for his exercise of power, and obstructing justice and Congress, are worse than the misconduct of any prior president, including what previous presidents who faced impeachment have done or been accused of doing,” said Michael Gerhardt in his prepared opening statement to the House Judiciary Committee.
Stanford Law professor Pamela S. Karlan used a domestic analogy to help explain why Trump’s pressuring and withholding of aid to Ukraine was controversial.
“To see why, imagine living in a part of Louisiana or Texas that’s prone to devastating hurricanes and flooding,” Karlan said. “What would you think if, when your governor asked the federal government for the disaster assistance that Congress has provided, the President responded, ‘I would like you to do us a favor. I’ll meet with you and send the disaster relief once you brand my opponent a criminal?’” | 
