Majority Of House Democrats Support Impeaching Donald Trump Over Capitol Riots
A majority of House Democrats have signed on to California Rep. Ted Lieu’s impeachment articles against President Donald Trump.
As the Washington Examiner reported on Saturday, Lieu drafted an impeachment resolution with Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island.
Lieu and his colleagues accused the commander-in-chief of “willfully inciting violence,” and their resolution explicitly states that he would be disqualified from holding office in the future.
“Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold any and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States,” the resolution read.
“He also willfully made statements that encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — imminent lawless action at the Capitol,” it continued.
“Incited by President Trump, a mob unlawfully breached the Capitol, injured law enforcement personnel, menaced Members of Congress and the Vice President, interfered with the Joint Session’s solemn constitutional duty to certify the election results, and engaged in violent, deadly, destructive, and seditious acts.”
Lieu’s article also mentioned Trump’s call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Trump was recorded pressuring Raffensperger, a Republican, to “find 11,780 votes” and block Biden from winning the 16 Electoral College votes in the key swing state.
On Wednesday, a group of pro-Trump protesters clashed with security forces at the U.S. Capitol and managed to invade and vandalize the building.
The commander-in-chief, Democrats say, encouraged and incited the violence and directed his supporters to interrupt the joint session of Congress as it sought to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump has spent the past two months delegitimizing Biden’s victory and pushing theories about widespread voter fraud. He did so even after courts across the nation — including the Supreme Court — rejected his campaign’s lawsuits.
Trump later condemned the violence. In a video message published on his Twitter account, he delivered a concession speech, committing to a peaceful transition of power.
Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has apparently started preparations for the trial. On Friday, McConnell sent out a memo to Senate Republicans and outlined the procedure for the trial. In the memo, he explained that the proceedings would most likely take place after the inauguration, which is scheduled for January 20.
Most Americans are in favor of removing Trump from the White House, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. In the survey, 30 percent of respondents said that Trump’s Cabinet should invoke the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, 14 percent said that Congress should impeach and remove him, and 13 percent said he should resign.
