US House committee postpones votes on articles of impeachment

US lawmakers will vote on Friday on whether to move forward with impeaching Republican President Donald Trump, as the Democratic head of the Judiciary Committee shocked Republicans by declining to hold a late-night vote after a hearing that lasted more than 14 hours.

The committee had been expected to approve two articles of impeachment late on Thursday, setting up a vote by the Democratic-controlled House next week that is expected to make Trump the third president in US history to be impeached.

Instead, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler sent lawmakers home for the night and said members would return to vote on Friday at 10am ET (1500 GMT).

The scheduling appeared to have nothing to do with the substance of the impeachment fight, but incensed Republican leaders who said afterward many were planning travel home on Friday and would now have to reset their schedules.

If the House impeaches Trump, who is charged with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, he would then go on trial in the Senate. The Republican-led chamber is unlikely to vote to find the president guilty and remove him from office.

The House Judiciary Committee proceedings ground on through the afternoon and into the evening as Republicans, determined to stretch out the meeting, offered a series of amendments that would emasculate the articles of impeachment but had no hope of adoption.

Reuters