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dpa
Washington
The US House of Representatives is poised to impeach outgoing President Donald Trump for an unprecedented second time on Wednesday, a week after he allegedly incited supporters to storm the Capitol.
The Democrat-controlled House charges the Republican president with inciting an insurrection, paving the way for an afternoon vote that is expected to pass.
That would make Trump, who has only seven days left in his term, the first president to be impeached twice. He was impeached in 2019 on allegations of abusing his position, but the Senate cleared him of charges last year.
At least five Republicans said they would join Democrats in voting to impeach Trump, including lawmaker Liz Cheney - the number-three House Republican, Adam Kinzinger and John Katko.
As lawmakers debated the charge in the same chamber that was evacuated a week ago as pro-Trump rioters swarmed the Capitol, Democratic Representative Jim McGovern argued that Trump “stoked the anger” of “domestic terrorists.” Republican lawmaker Tom Cole countered that impeachment would “further divide the American people.” An impeachment in the House would lead to a trial in the Senate. A two-thirds majority would be needed to convict Trump in the upper chamber, which is still in Republican control for now.
An outcome appears unlikely before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20.
Although it could be too late to oust Trump, the Senate could also vote to bar him from running for office again, needing only a simple majority.
The impeachment debate came a day after Vice President Mike Pence rebuffed Democrats’ calls to use the Constitution’s 25th amendment to remove his boss from office.
Trump has remained defiant, taking no responsibility for his role in last week’s assault on Congress, which left five people dead. He said on Tuesday that his speech, which seemed designed to rile up supporters, was “totally appropriate.” The impeachment article notes that Trump repeated false claims that he won the November election at a rally moments before the rampage, which temporarily halted a congressional session to certify Biden’s victory and forced lawmakers to go into hiding.
Security at the Capitol has been massively ramped up ahead of Biden’s inauguration. Thousands of National Guard troops were on Wednesday protecting the building, with social media images showing some resting in its halls ahead of the impeachment debate.
Washington
The US House of Representatives is poised to impeach outgoing President Donald Trump for an unprecedented second time on Wednesday, a week after he allegedly incited supporters to storm the Capitol.
The Democrat-controlled House charges the Republican president with inciting an insurrection, paving the way for an afternoon vote that is expected to pass.
That would make Trump, who has only seven days left in his term, the first president to be impeached twice. He was impeached in 2019 on allegations of abusing his position, but the Senate cleared him of charges last year.
At least five Republicans said they would join Democrats in voting to impeach Trump, including lawmaker Liz Cheney - the number-three House Republican, Adam Kinzinger and John Katko.
As lawmakers debated the charge in the same chamber that was evacuated a week ago as pro-Trump rioters swarmed the Capitol, Democratic Representative Jim McGovern argued that Trump “stoked the anger” of “domestic terrorists.” Republican lawmaker Tom Cole countered that impeachment would “further divide the American people.” An impeachment in the House would lead to a trial in the Senate. A two-thirds majority would be needed to convict Trump in the upper chamber, which is still in Republican control for now.
An outcome appears unlikely before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20.
Although it could be too late to oust Trump, the Senate could also vote to bar him from running for office again, needing only a simple majority.
The impeachment debate came a day after Vice President Mike Pence rebuffed Democrats’ calls to use the Constitution’s 25th amendment to remove his boss from office.
Trump has remained defiant, taking no responsibility for his role in last week’s assault on Congress, which left five people dead. He said on Tuesday that his speech, which seemed designed to rile up supporters, was “totally appropriate.” The impeachment article notes that Trump repeated false claims that he won the November election at a rally moments before the rampage, which temporarily halted a congressional session to certify Biden’s victory and forced lawmakers to go into hiding.
Security at the Capitol has been massively ramped up ahead of Biden’s inauguration. Thousands of National Guard troops were on Wednesday protecting the building, with social media images showing some resting in its halls ahead of the impeachment debate.
