Trump impeachment effort passes first test in split US Congress

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi presides over the US House of Representatives vote on a resolution that sets up the next steps in the impeachment inquiry of US President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, US. [Reuters]

A deeply divided US House of Representatives took a major step in the effort to impeach President Donald Trump on Thursday when lawmakers approved rules for the next stage, including public hearings, in the Democratic-led inquiry into Trump’s attempt to have Ukraine investigate a domestic political rival.

In the first formal test of support for the impeachment investigation, the Democratic-controlled House voted almost entirely along party lines - 232 to 196 - to move the probe forward in Congress.