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Donald Trump’s fiery speech at a rally just before the Capitol attack is at the center of the impeachment charge against him, even as the lies he has been spreading for months about voter fraud are still being defended by some Republicans.
A Capitol police officer died of injuries sustained in the riot, and police shot and killed a woman during the siege. Three other people have died in what authorities have called medical emergencies.
What to watch as the Democratic-controlled House moves to impeach Trump for the second time in 13 months – there are just a few days left in the defeated president’s tenure:
the Democratic case of impeachment
Trump faces a single charge – “incitement to insurgency” – after the deadly riot on Capitol Hill in an impeachment resolution that the House will begin debate on Wednesday. It’s an astonishing end to Trump’s presidency as Democrats and a growing number of Republicans say he is unfit for office and could do more damage after inciting a crowd that has sacked the Capitol.
“President Trump has seriously endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government,” the four-page impeachment bill reads in part. “He will remain a threat to national security, democracy and the Constitution if he is allowed to remain in office.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said impeachment was necessary despite the limited number of days remaining in Trump’s tenure. “The president’s threat to America is urgent, as is our action,” she said.
Trump’s actions were personal to Pelosi and many other lawmakers. She was among those forced to huddle in a bunker during the Capitol riots, and armed rioters threatened staff members with taunts of “Where’s Nancy?”
The House of Representatives will meet at 9 a.m. ET (2 p.m. GMT) and will follow an initial debate and some procedural votes. Then, around noon, there should be about two hours of debate on the articles of impeachment, concluding with a vote in the middle or late afternoon, around 3 p.m. ET (8 p.m. GMT). The vote in the House will take between 40 minutes and an hour. The vote is almost certain to pass, as Democrats have a majority, and several Republicans have already said they will support the move. The next step in the process would then be to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate.
How many Republicans will support impeachment?
Unlike the last time Trump was impeached, when no Republican in the House backed the charges against Trump following an appeal he made to the new Ukrainian president, the current impeachment effort has drawn support. of some Republicans.
Minority House Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and his deputy, Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise, are expected to oppose impeachment again, but Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, Republican No.3 , said on Tuesday she would support her.
Representatives John Katko, Republican from New York, and Adam Kinzinger, Republican from Illinois, have also said they will support impeachment, and some other Republicans appear likely to follow.
McCarthy, one of Trump’s closest allies in Congress, echoed Trump in saying that “impeachment right now would have the opposite effect of bringing our country closer together.”
Will House will censor Trump?
In an impeachment step, McCarthy and other Republicans pitched the idea of Trump censorship in the House. While support for the proposal is unclear, McCarthy said censorship or some other mechanism – such as a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack – “would ensure that the events of January 6 are legitimately exposed and prevented from happening. happen in the future “.
Democrats, with the impeachment votes in hand, aren’t buying it.
When would the articles of indictment go to the Senate?
Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell – who remains in charge of the Senate until Democrats take over, possibly as early as January 20 – said the Senate could consider impeachment no earlier than January 19, the day before the departure of Trump and the president-elect. Joe Biden in inaugurated. Democratic leaders earlier explored how to recall the Senate, although that would still require McConnell’s cooperation. So it is likely that any vote to convict Trump would take place after he has already left office, with a trial possibly taking place on Jan.20 or Jan.21. There is, however, a suggestion that the Democratic-controlled House could delay sending the articles to the Senate until the Biden administration is established and his cabinet choices confirmed by the Senate, so as not to distract the start. of its mandate. in the office. Biden suggested that the Senate split its time between impeachment and its agenda.
How many votes are needed in the Senate to impeach Trump?
Impeachment must be voted by a two-thirds majority in the Senate, which requires 67 votes. After the Democrats’ two successes in the second round of the elections in Georgia, the new Senate will be delicately positioned 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Vice President Kamala Harris holding the casting vote. That means 17 Republican senators are expected to vote to condemn Trump. The outgoing president was easily acquitted of both counts in his previous impeachment trial, with not a single Republican in the Senate convicting him.
Will Republicans in the Senate vote to condemn Trump this time?
Things could be different in 2021. For starters, the accusation is much simpler and more straightforward – that Trump is guilty of inciting an insurgency, rather than the complicated and obscure deals in Ukraine that have been the subject of the first indictment. So far, five Republican representatives in the House have come forward to say they would vote for impeachment, but so far no senators. It’s hard to imagine extremists like Sen. Ted Cruz or Josh Hawley who voted against Joe Biden’s election victory now swaying behind a Trump impeachment attempt.
However, reports from the New York Times and Axios suggest that those close to Senate Leader McConnell appear to believe that he believes Trump has committed impenetrable offenses and that he may be willing to vote for a conviction in a trial in the Senate. If that was the case, it would be easier for other Republicans to do so.
If Trump is convicted, does that prevent him from running for president again?
Not automatically. However, if found guilty, the Senate could follow through with another vote to prevent him from running for office, requiring only a simple majority to pass. This vote would invoke the 14th Amendment, which excludes from federal or state office anyone who takes part in an insurgency or rebellion. Passed after the American Civil War, the amendment stipulates that no one should hold office in the United States if they have previously “engaged in an insurgency or rebellion” against the United States while in office.
Can the 14th Amendment be used even if Trump is acquitted?
While it is certain that it will be challenged and subject to legal challenge, some experts believe the 14th Amendment could be used to prevent Donald Trump from running again even if he is acquitted. Again, this would only require a simple majority vote in the Senate, which, under Democrat control, would likely pass.
How will Trump respond?
Trump has so far taken no responsibility for his role in spearheading the violent insurgency, despite his comments encouraging supporters to march on Capitol Hill and congratulating them as they still lead the assault. “People thought what I said was very appropriate,” he said on Tuesday.
A significant difference from Trump’s first indictment: he no longer has a Twitter thread to respond in real time.
Reinforced security
In a sign of rising tensions in the wake of the attack, House lawmakers will have to go through a metal detector for the first time before being allowed to enter the chamber.
This new security measure will remain in effect every day the House sits for the foreseeable future, according to a directive from Timothy Blodgett, the House’s acting sergeant-at-arms. Blodgett replaced the longtime Sergeant-at-Arms who resigned after widespread criticism of poor security planning for the January 6 certification vote.
Blodgett also told lawmakers they must wear masks during the Covid-19 crisis and risk being kicked out of the chamber if they don’t.
Will lawmakers curb emotions on the floor?
While the debate in the House is often heated, emotions are expected to be unusually high as lawmakers debate impeachment. Not only is this the second time they’ve voted on such a measure, but the debate comes exactly one week after a majority of House Republicans opposed Biden’s certification of victory, setting the stage for the hours-long siege that shook the Capitol and the nation.
A recent Covid-19 breakout among lawmakers held in lockdown along with others who refused to wear masks has only heightened tensions.
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