The first impeachment of Donald Trump began in December 2019. The House of Representatives charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. These charges stemmed from allegations that Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, by withholding military aid and a White House meeting. The House passed two articles of impeachment on December 18, 2019, with votes of 230-197 on abuse of power and 229-198 on obstruction of Congress.
The investigation was sparked by a whistleblower complaint regarding a July 25, 2019, phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In the call, Trump urged Zelensky to investigate the Bidens and a debunked theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election. The White House initially tried to block the whistleblower complaint from reaching Congress, but it eventually became public, leading to the formal impeachment inquiry.
In January 2020, the Senate trial began, led by Chief Justice John Roberts. After several weeks, Trump was acquitted on both charges on February 5, 2020. The vote on abuse of power was 52-48, with Senator Mitt Romney being the sole Republican to vote for conviction. On obstruction of Congress, the vote was 53-47 along party lines. The trial included arguments from House managers and Trump’s defense team, with key testimony from various officials and evidence including the transcript of the phone call and documents related to the withholding of military aid.