'No choice but to act': House Speaker Pelosi asks chairmen to pursue articles of impeachment against President Trump

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Congress had to act in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump because of his failure to faithfully execute the law, a phrase that echoed the reasoning for the Declaration of Independence from England.

“The president abused his power for his own personal political benefit," said Pelosi, D-Calif. "The president's actions have seriously violated the Constitution."

"Today I am asking our chairmen to proceed with articles of impeachment," she added.

Meanwhile, Trump invited House Democrats to impeach him quickly so that he could get past the Senate trial and “get back to business.” Republicans hold a 53 to 47 majority in the Senate, and it would take a two-thirds majority to vote to remove Trump.

Stephanie Grisham, a White House spokeswoman, said in a tweet that Trump had done nothing but lead the country in a booming economy with more jobs and a stronger military.

"We look forward to a fair trial in the Senate," Grisham said.

The clash between leaders of two of the three branches of government came after a day-long hearing in the House Judiciary Committee. A trio of law professors said Trump had committed impeachable offenses by urging Ukraine to investigate his political rival while withholding a meeting and nearly $400 million in military aid. Pelosi recited the history of the reasoning behind impeachment, which the professors testified about during the hearing.