A Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives committee approved charges of abuse of power and obstruction against Republican President Donald Trump on Friday, making it almost certain he will become the third American president in history to be impeached, reports Reuters.

A deeply divided House Judiciary Committee voted 23-17 along party lines to approve an article of impeachment charging Trump with abusing the power of his office to pressure Ukraine to investigate a possible rival in the 2020 presidential election, Democrat Joe Biden.

The panel also backed a second article by the same margin accusing Trump of obstructing Congress’ investigation of the Ukraine scandal by ordering administration officials not to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry.