President Donald Trump was indicted by the U.S. House on a single charge of inciting insurrection for his role in a riot of his supporters that left five dead and the Capitol looted, putting an indelible stain on his legacy when there was only one week left to finish the term. .
The historic vote of Wednesday 232-197 makes Trump the only U.S. president to be indicted twice, just over a year since the first. He received the support of all Democrats and 10 Republicans, including Liz Cheney, the third Republican Party leader in the House.
“We know that the president of the United States he incited this insurrection, “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said before the vote. She told Trump” a clear and present danger to this country that we all love. “
Pelosi will now determine how quickly to send the dismissal article to the Senate for trial. Senate Republican Party leader Mitch McConnell has rejected Democratic leader Chuck Schumer’s request to agree back to senators for an emergency session and begin the trial before Jan. 20, when Trump leaves office and inaugurate President-elect Joe Biden.
The Speaker of the House signed the dismissal article Wednesday night, but has not indicated whether it will delay its transmission to the Senate.
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Trump, in a video released by the White House Wednesday evening, denounced the Capitol attack and called on Americans to avoid further violence. He did not mention the removal vote.
He has maintained iron control in the Republican Party for most of his four-year term. But his lure against the angry crowd of supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 was too much for some in the Republican Party. Even Republicans who did not vote for his removal denounced his actions.
McConnell has told associates he believes Trump committed a heinous crime last week when he attacked protesters, two people familiar with the matter said. In a note Wednesday addressed to his fellow Republican, McConnell wrote, “I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to hear the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate.”
The repercussion was wide. Major companies began a torrent of announcements that would at least temporarily cut contributions to lawmakers who joined Trump in false allegations of election fraud and an attempt to block the Nov. 3 election results. Twitter, which has served as a megaphone for Trump to his followers, banned him and he was kicked out of other platforms. His business was also successful when the banks that managed his finances and the American golf industry that brought businesses to his clubs retired.
However, investors set aside procedures in Washington on Wednesday, with an S&P 500 index rising 0.2% from 3:31 p.m.
Trump has hinted that he will possibly run for president again in 2024, but his political future was uncertain. In addition to the political damage he has suffered, Trump could be legally barred from returning to federal office if he is found guilty. He also faces a criminal and civil legal danger for cheering supporters before the January 6 uprising.
Nancy Pelosi leaves the hammer while presiding over President Trump’s January 13 impeachment vote.
Photographer: Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images
Shortly before the House vote, Trump again tried to suppress the fury by issuing a statement saying, “There should be NO violence, NO transgression of the law or any kind of vandalism.”
“That’s not what I’m advocating, and it’s not what America stands for,” Trump said in the statement. “I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm the storms.”
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House Republican Party leader Kevin McCarthy, a staunch ally of Trump, said accusing the president in such a short time, without investigations or hearings, would be a mistake.
“It simply came to our notice then. It would further divide this nation. A vote to challenge will further fuel the flames of partisan division, “said McCarthy, who voted to challenge the two-state election votes won by Biden, just hours after the crowd angered by the loss of Trump stormed the Capitol. on January 6th.
McCarthy was one of 138 Republicans who heeded Trump’s false claims about the election and opposed the Electoral College’s vote count in at least one state.
Democrats said there was no doubt that Trump’s public statements last week were a violation of the oath all lawmakers take to defend the Constitution.
“We told you last time that if we didn’t accuse him, this would happen again. In a nutshell, we told you, “Louisiana Democratic Rep. Cedric Richmond said in his last remarks to the House before joining the Biden administration.
Some Democrats have expressed suspicion about the impeachment that led to a trial in the Senate just as Biden began his term, potentially overshadowing the transfer of power and stopping the confirmations of cabinet candidates and the first legislative initiatives of the new democratic administration.
As lawmakers met Wednesday in the House of Commons, the Capitol and surrounding areas of Washington looked like an armed camp. Thousands of National Guard troops and other security personnel were guarded and patrolling land and buildings. Police closed nearby streets with parked military vehicles and high metal fences surrounded much of the area.
Kevin McCarthy walks the floor of the house on the U.S. Capitol on January 13th.
Photographer: Al Drago / Bloomberg
The attack on the Capitol surprised and frightened many lawmakers, prompting Democrats to act quickly. The dismissal proceeding continued without hearings, without witness statements or investigation. This process unfolded for weeks in late 2019, when House Democrats accused Trump of charges of abuse of power and obstruction related to allegations that he pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son Hunter.
Democrats claimed there was clear public support for this second impeachment, arguing that much of America had been rejected from what they witnessed on Jan. 6 through the broadcast and other media.
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Polls show that the president’s view of the president has diminished as a result of the violence. A University of Quinnipiac poll conducted after the Capitol assault found that 56% of voters hold Trump responsible. In the same poll, Trump’s approval rating was 33%, a drop from the 44% he had in a December poll.
The events of January 6 began with thousands of Trump supporters gathered in Washington when Congress had to certify that Biden won the election. But while Trump and his congressional sponsors continued to discuss the election with false allegations of election fraud, the president himself urged his supporters to march on the Capitol 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 riot policeman died after being shot, and others were injured or killed. in cases of medical emergency. The offices were looted and there was a tense moment when even the legislators of the House of Commons were besieged.
“In all of this, President Trump seriously endangered the security of the United States and its governing institutions, “says the dismissal article.” Donald John Trump engaged in crimes and delicate crimes inciting violence against the government of United States“.
The House voted after about three hours of debate on Wednesday. The proceedings took place in the same chamber where Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were charged, as well as Trump for the first time in December 2019. None of them were convicted by the Senate.
– With the assistance of Erik Wasson and Daniel Flatley
(Updates with Pelosi signing the article in the fifth paragraph and additional quotes everywhere.)