Democrats hammer abuse of power charge, allege Trump put self over country

House Democrats on Thursday used the second day of opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial to paint a dark portrait of a president who put his own interests above those of the country — and betrayed his office in the process.

During hours of fastidious arguments, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and his team of Democratic impeachment prosecutors laid out what they described as a self-serving campaign on the part of the President Trump to press Ukrainian leaders to launch investigations that would help Trump politically, even at the expense of national security. 

“President Trump abused his authority as commander-in-chief and chief diplomat to benefit himself,” Schiff said. “And he betrayed the interests of the American people when he did so.” Continue reading.