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Democratic White House hopeful Joe Biden said on Wednesday, 9 October, for the first time that Donald Trump should be impeached, arguing that the US president has "betrayed this nation" and violated his oath of office.
"To preserve our Constitution, our democracy, our basic integrity, he should be impeached," Biden, the former vice president whom Trump has repeatedly accused without evidence of corruption, told supporters at a rally in New Hampshire.
"He is shooting holes in the Constitution, and we can not let him get away with it," added Biden, the longtime favorite who is now neck and neck with Senator Elizabeth Warren in the race to take on Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
Even after it was revealed that Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to dig up dirt on Biden and his son Hunter, the senior Democrat had been more restrained than most other White House contenders.
But the gloves came off Wednesday, one day after the White House announced it would not cooperate with the impeachment investigation launched by House Democratic leaders last month.
"He's even willing to hold Congress and congressionally appropriated aid to a foreign nation hostage to his personal political demands," he added, referring to accusations that Trump's call with Zelensky was an abuse of power because he allegedly tied Ukraine aid to investigating the Bidens.
Before Biden had finished speaking, Trump took to Twitter in a direct attack on him and his "failing campaign." "So pathetic to see Sleepy Joe Biden, who with his son, Hunter, and to the detriment of the American Taxpayer, has ripped off at least two countries for millions of dollars, calling for my impeachment -- and I did nothing wrong," Trump said.
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