An unprecedented second impeachment of outgoing US President Donald Trump in the final days of his term has been initiated, with the Democrats on Monday introducing the single article charging him with “incitement of insurrection” following the violent storming of the Capitol last week.
The article of impeachment was introduced in the House of Representatives after a Republican member objected to a resolution asking Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from off The house was subsequently adjourned and will now meet on Tuesday, when a vote on the resolution would be taken.
Ahead of the session, the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a copy of the resolution, calling on Pence to act.
Accusing Trump of encouraging “rioters and insurrectionists to ‘march on the Capitol’ and ‘fight’” last Wednesday, the resolution seeks Pence to “declare what is obvious to a horrified nation: that the President is unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office”.
It also charges Trump with “at least 3 attempts to intervene in the lawful vote counting and certification process in Georgia”.
If no action is taken on the resolution, the Democrats vowed to impeach President Trump again.
The impeachment resolution cites Trump’s repeated unsubstantiated claims that he won the November elections, his speech in Washington on the day of the riot, and his plea with Georgia’s top voting official to “find” more Republican votes even after the tally had been finalised, the BBC reported.
“In all this, President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of government. He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States,” it said.
Trump would be long gone by then, but a conviction could lead to him being barred from running for president again in 2024. The votes also would force Trump’s Republicans to again defend his behaviour.
Meanwhile, dozens of people who attacked police officers, stole computers and indulged in vandalism at the Capitol have been arrested for their role in the violence.
