Pelosi announces formal impeachment inquiry against Trump

Giuliani, Republicans: Democrats' formal impeachment inquiry of Trump will backfire
One of the biggest questions is whether House Democrats' formal impeachment inquiry of President Trump will backfire. Democrats have suggested Trump, in his call with Zelensky, tried to convince the Ukraine government into investigating potential 2020 presidential election opponent Joe Biden, his son Hunter and the Biden family's business dealings. The president, Democrats have suggested, had $400 million in aid to Ukraine frozen to pressure officials into pursuing the Biden investigation. The Trump administration says the decision to freeze funding came more than a week before his call with Zelensky and that it was based on concerns about broader Ukraine corruption.

The contents of the call, as well as the whistleblower complaint, could throw cold water on Democrats' explosive suggestions. A senior administration official told Fox News there are a “few words” in the transcript that will raise eyebrows, but it is nowhere near as inflammatory as Democrats have suggested. Joe Biden has acknowledged on camera that, when he was vice president, he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, while Shokin was investigating the natural gas firm Burisma Holdings — where Hunter Biden was on the board. Shokin himself had separately been accused of corruption.

Plus, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani -- who has long publicly called for Ukraine to investigate Biden's dealings in Ukraine -- posted a series of messages on Twitter suggesting Democrats have a bigger problem on their hands with corruption involving "high level members of the Obama cabinet" and "multi-million and billion dollar pay-for-play." "Slimy Joe is not alone," Giuliani tweeted. Click on the video above to see Giuliani's appearance on "The Ingraham Angle."

Meanwhile, Trump is set to meet with Zelensky on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. The visit was previously scheduled, unrelated to the whistleblower allegation, although the two leaders are expected to face questions about the matter from reporters.