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President Donald Trump was impeached by the United States House on a single charge of incitement to insurgency for his role in a riot by his supporters that left five dead and the Capitol sacked, putting an indelible stain on his legacy with only a week left of his tenure. .
Wednesday’s historic 232-197 vote makes Trump the only U.S. president to be impeached twice, just over a year since his first. He was supported by all Democrats and 10 Republicans, including Liz Cheney, the third-largest GOP leader in the House.
“We know that the president of the United States incited this insurrection, ”said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi before the vote. She called Trump a “clear and current danger to this country we all love.”
Pelosi will now determine how quickly to send the impeachment article to the Senate for trial. GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has rejected Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s call to agree to bring senators back for an emergency session and begin the trial before January 20, when Trump steps down and the President-elect Joe Biden will be inaugurated.
The Speaker of the House signed the article of impeachment on Wednesday evening, but did not indicate whether she would delay its transmission to the Senate.
QuickTake: What’s next as Trump’s impeachment heads to the Senate
Trump, in a video released by the White House on Wednesday night, denounced the attack on Capitol Hill and called on Americans to avoid further violence. He did not mention the impeachment vote.
He maintained an iron grip on the Republican Party for most of his four years in office. But his stoking the angry mob of supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan.6 was too much for some in the GOP. Even Republicans who did not vote for his impeachment denounced his actions.
McConnell told associates he believed Trump committed an impenetrable offense last week when he urged protesters, two people familiar with the matter said. In a note to his Republican colleague on Wednesday, McConnell wrote: “I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and intend to listen to legal arguments when they are presented in the Senate. . “
The repercussions have been significant. Big business has launched a torrent of announcements that they will at least temporarily cut contributions to lawmakers who have joined Trump in bogus allegations of voter fraud and in the attempt to block the November 3 election results. Twitter, which served as Trump’s megaphone to its followers, banned it and it was kicked out of other platforms. His business was also affected, as the banks managing its finances and the American golf industry that brings business to its clubs withdrew.
Investors ignored the procedure in Washington on Wednesday, however, with the S&P 500 Index posting a modest 0.2% advance at 3:31 p.m.
Trump has hinted he could run for president again in 2024, but his political future was uncertain. In addition to the political damage he suffered, Trump could be legally barred from re-assuming federal office if found guilty. He also faces criminal and civil lawsuits for encouraging supporters before the January 6 riot.
Nancy Pelosi lays the hammer down as she chairs President Trump’s impeachment vote on January 13.
Photographer: Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images
Shortly before the House vote, Trump again attempted to quell the fury by issuing a statement saying, “There must be NO violence, NO breaking of the law, and NO vandalism of any kind.”
“This is not what I represent, and this is not what America represents,” Trump said in the statement. “I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm people down.”
QuickTake: What a last-day impeachment would mean for Trump
GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy, a staunch Trump ally, has said removing the president in such a short period of time, without an investigation or hearing, would be a mistake.
“Here’s what an impeachment vote would do. It would further divide this nation. An impeachment vote will further fuel the flames of the partisan divide, ”said McCarthy, who voted to challenge the two-state election votes won by Biden, just hours after crowds angry over Trump’s loss took to assault the Capitol on January 6.
McCarthy was among 138 Republicans who heeded Trump’s false election claims and opposed the electoral college vote count in at least one state.
Democrats have said there is no doubt that Trump’s public remarks last week violated the oath all lawmakers take to uphold the Constitution.
“We told you last time if we didn’t remove him, it would happen again. Simply put, we told you, ”Louisiana Democratic Representative Cedric Richmond said in his final remarks in the House before joining the Biden administration.
Some Democrats have expressed doubts about the impeachment leading to a Senate trial as Biden began his term, potentially overshadowing the transfer of power and blocking cabinet candidate confirmations and early legislative initiatives by the new Democratic administration.
As lawmakers gathered in the House chamber on Wednesday, the Capitol and surrounding areas in Washington looked like an armed camp. Thousands of National Guard soldiers and other security personnel guarded and patrolled the grounds and buildings. Police closed nearby streets with parked military vehicles, and tall metal fences surrounded much of the area.
Kevin McCarthy walks to the House floor at the U.S. Capitol on January 13.
Photographer: Al Drago / Bloomberg
The attack on Capitol Hill stunned and frightened many lawmakers, motivating Democrats to act quickly. The dismissal procedure took place without a hearing, without taking any testimony or investigating. This process lasted for weeks at the end of 2019, as House Democrats impeached Trump on abuse of power and obstruction charges linked to allegations he pressured Ukraine to investigate. on Biden and his son Hunter.
Democrats claimed there was clear public support for this second indictment, arguing that much of America had been pushed back from what they witnessed on January 6 on television and in other media.
Read more: Ocasio-Cortez says she feared for her life in attack on Capitol Hill
Polls show that public opinion about the president has declined as a result of the violence. A Quinnipiac University survey after the Capitol storming found 56% of voters hold Trump responsible. In the same poll, Trump’s approval rating was 33%, down from the 44% rating he had in a December poll.
The events of January 6 began with thousands of Trump supporters rallying in Washington as Congress had to certify Biden won the election. But as Trump and his congressional supporters continued to challenge the election with false allegations of voter fraud, the president himself urged his supporters to march on Capitol Hill and register their opposition to the constitutional process.
The resulting attack was a scene of unprecedented rampage and trauma for the nation: a U.S. Capitol police officer died after being beaten, a rioter died after being shot and others were killed. injured or died in medical emergencies. Offices were ransacked and there was a tense moment when even lawmakers inside the House chamber were under siege.
“In all of this, President Trump has seriously endangered the security of the United States and its government institutions, ”says the article on impeachment. “Donald John Trump has engaged in serious crimes and misdemeanors by inciting violence against the government of United States. “
The House voted after about three hours of debate on Wednesday. Debates took place in the same chamber where Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were indicted, as well as Trump for the first time in December 2019. None of them were convicted by the Senate.
– With the help of Erik Wasson and Daniel Flatley
(Updates with Pelosi signing the article in the fifth paragraph and additional quotes throughout.)
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