Political cartoon roundup: Trump impeachment inquiry | Opinion

On Tuesday afternoon, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House of Representatives will open a formal impeachment inquiry into the conduct of President Donald Trump. Until yesterday, Pelosi was reluctant to proceed toward impeachment but new allegations that Trump withheld military aid to pressure the Ukrainian President to investigate corruption allegations into Vice President Joe Biden, the current frontrunner in the 2020 Democratic primary. An intelligence officer filed a whistleblower complaint, which the Inspector General to the Intelligence Community found credible. However, even though the law requires the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to pass whistleblowers complaints to Congress, Trump’s DNI refuse to do so.

Meanwhile details on the content of the complaints were reported through the press, culminating in Pelosi’s impeachment inquiry announcement.

The story continues to unfold. On Wednesday, Trump released more information about his call with the Ukrainian President.

Political cartoonists from around the globe weighed in on this latest development in Trump’s presidency.

In July, Trump called the newly-elected Ukrainian president to congratulate him on his election. A whistleblower complaint alleged that during this call Trump pressured President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden for potentially stifling a Ukrainian investigation into his son, Hunter Biden, who does business in the Ukraine. Military aid to the Ukraine has been mysteriously delayed a week before the call. The allegation is that Trump delayed the aid to use it as leverage against Ukraine. This would be powerful leverage considering that Ukraine is in a dispute with Russia — a much more powerful nation — that in 2014 occupied a part of the country called Crimea.

On Wednesday, Trump released more information his call with Zelensky — but not the verbatim transcript, which many hoped would be shared widely.

On Tuesday night, Trump responded to the inquiry announcement tweeting “PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!” and blaming the Democrats for not even waiting to see the transcript.

» READ MORE: As Pelosi announces impeachment inquiry, Philly-area Democrats mostly line up in support

It was not the two-year long special counsel investigation intro Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election and potential obstruction of justice by Trump that pushed Pelosi to announce the inquiry. It was one whistleblower’s complaint that broke the camel’s back — and handed a victory for the progressives in Pelosi’s caucus who have called for impeachment multiple times throughout Trump’s presidency.

» READ MORE: What impeachment is and how the process works

Some cartoonists wondered if this impeachment inquiry could be the end of Trump’s presidency.