Washington DC: President Donald Trump was impeached by the US House for a historic second time, charged with “incitement of insurrection” over the deadly mob siege of the US Capitol last week.
With the US Capitol secured by armed National Guard troops inside and out, the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump on Wednesday.
The proceedings then moved at lightning speed with lawmakers voting just one week after violent pro-Trump loyalists stormed the US Capitol, egged on by the President’s calls for them to “fight like hell” against the election results.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invoked Abraham Lincoln and the Bible, imploring lawmakers to uphold their oath to defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign “and domestic.”
Ten Republicans deserted Trump, joining Democrats who said he needed to be held accountable and warned ominously of a “clear and present danger” if Congress should leave him unchecked before Democrat Joe Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20.
What Next
Now that Trump has been impeached in the House for a second time, the action moves to the Senate, which would hold a formal trial with US Chief Justice John Roberts presiding.
However, Trump’s impeachment trial in the US Senate will not begin until next week, outgoing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, setting the stage for a partisan brawl in President-elect Joe Biden’s first days in office.
“Even if the Senate process were to begin this week and move promptly, no final verdict would be reached until after President Trump had left office. This is not a decision I am making; it is a fact,” McConnell said in a statement.
‘Be United’
In his first comments after being impeached on Wednesday, the US President urged Americans to be “united” and avoid violence. He, however, avoided any mention of the impeachment in a videotaped speech.
Trump said he was “calling on all Americans to overcome the passions of the moment and join together as one American people. Let us choose to move forward united for the good of our families”.
Repudiating his supporters who assaulted Congress a week ago, Trump said “there is never a justification for violence”. “Those who engaged in the attacks last week will be brought to justice,” he added.
Notably, Trump was first impeached by the US House in 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine, but the Senate voted to acquit him in 2020. Trump is the first US President to be impeached twice.
