Senior House Democrats announced two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump early Tuesday.

The articles of impeachment cite abuse of power and obstruction of Congress by Trump.

“A president who declares himself above accountability, above the American people and above Congress’ power of impeachment, which is meant to protect against threats to our democratic institutions is a president who sees himself as above the law,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler. “We must be clear. No one, not even the president, is above the law.”

“President Trump abused the powers of the presidency by ignoring and injuring national security and other vital interests to obtain an improper political benefit,” Nadler said in the House resolution outlining the articles of impeachment. “[Trump] also betrayed the nation by abusing his high office to enlist a foreign power in corrupting democratic elections.”

The resolution said Trump has demonstrated he will continue to be a “threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office” and acts in a manner “grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law.”

“President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States,” Nadler said in the resolution.

The House Intelligence Committee Chairman, Adam Schiff, spoke after Nadler.

“We stand here today because the president’s continuing abuse of his power has left us no choice,” Nadler said. “To do nothing would make us ourselves complicit in the president’s abuse of his high office, the public trust and our national security.”

Speaking at Politico’s “Women Rule Summit” Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it was a “sad” and “solemn day.”

“It’s something that no one comes to Congress to do, to impeach a president,” Pelosi said.

Should either of the articles of impeachment be passed by the House in a simple majority vote, Trump faces a trial in the Senate with a two-thirds vote threshold for removal from office.

Steve King, who represents Iowa’s 4th Congressional District in the House — the district that includes Ames and Iowa State — released a video statement dismissing the merits of the articles of impeachment following their announcement.

“The long saga of three years and one month of trying to come up with an excuse to impeach Donald Trump has finally come to pass,” King said. “The excuses are this: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.”

The articles of impeachment are a political decision by Democrats, King said.

Brad Parscale, Trump’s 2020 campaign manager, also responded to the announcement of the articles of impeachment.

“For months, Nancy Pelosi said she wouldn’t move forward on impeachment because it was too divisive and it needed bipartisan support,” Parscale said in a statement. “Well, it is divisive and only the Democrats are pushing it, but she’s doing it anyway. Americans don’t agree with this rank partisanship, but Democrats are putting on this political theater because they don’t have a viable candidate for 2020 and they know it.”

The FiveThirtyEight polling average of American public opinion on impeachment found 47.9 percent support impeaching Trump, with 43.6 percent opposed as of Tuesday.

Trump made several references to the two committee chairmen involved, Nadler and Schiff, in a series of tweets Tuesday morning.

“Nadler just said that I ‘pressured Ukraine to interfere in our 2020 Election,’” Trump said in a tweet. “Ridiculous, and he knows that is not true. Both the President & Foreign Minister of Ukraine said, many times, that there ‘WAS NO PRESSURE.’ Nadler and the Dems know this, but refuse to acknowledge!”

The president, apparently referring to Schiff, called him “Shifty Schiff” in a tweet that also labeled Schiff a “totally corrupt politician” who read a “fraudulent statement” to Congress.

“He got caught, was very embarrassed, yet nothing happened to him for committing this fraud,” Trump said in a tweet. “He’ll eventually have to answer for this!”