CBC
The US House of Representatives is about to accuse Trump again – but to what end?
Donald Trump’s presidency, which destroys the rules, risks earning new shameful distinctions in the coming days, which will accompany him in his post-presidency and in the afterlife. The political epitaph of the president of the United States will carry the legacy of two upcoming House of Representatives votes, including impeachment in the aftermath of last week’s mafia attack on the United States Capitol, which he accused of inspiring. Trump is likely to soon become the only U.S. president twice accused; the only president formally scheduled for expulsion under the 25th amendment; and possibly, but much less likely, the only president condemned by the Senate and barred from running again. The first in this series of votes is expected on Tuesday night, after 7:30 pm Eastern Time. at home. “The president represents an imminent threat to our constitution, our country and the American people, and he should be removed from office immediately,” Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said on Monday. “The president’s threat to America is urgent, and so will our action.” Pelosi outlined a two-step plan that begins with a vote on the 25th amendment to the US constitution, promulgated after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. This allows for a change in leadership if a body of Congress, the vice president and more than half of the cabinet agree to remove the president. Plan A and Plan B Given the little chance that Vice President Mike Pence and the majority of the cabinet will turn against the President, Democrats prepared Plan B for the next day, an impeachment article to be voted on Wednesday which accuses the president of inciting an insurrection for his role in the attack on the US Capitol last week. The resolution noted that Trump addressed a rally shortly before his supporters mounted the attack and said he made statements that “encouraged and predictably resulted in” lawless actions on Capitol Hill. The impeachment appears to have votes to pass the House, based only on its Democratic support, although it may also attract some Republicans. The question that many will ask, and Republicans are certainly asking, is: why now? Trump is expected to step down in a week and has just promised a peaceful transition. The main republican argument against impeachment is that this movement will overthrow a country that is a political powder box. The main Republican backs down against impeachment This styrofoam box is already showing signs of exploding – the FBI warns of plans for armed protests across the country; there are conversations on social networks about militia attacks; at least 10,000 National Guard soldiers are being called to the capital; and even the Washington Monument is being closed amid threats. Republicans are asking their rivals to go ahead and let President-elect Joe Biden launch his presidency under unifying terms, with a focus on fulfilling his own agenda. Even a Democratic senator thinks this is a bad idea. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, considered this a terrible time for impeachment: “This is so reckless,” Manchin told Fox News. He predicted that the impeachment would fail again in a Senate trial, just as it did last year, and would only hamper the start of Biden’s presidency. That’s because an impeachment may not even reach a Senate trial until after the presidential transition – raising the question of what difference it makes now. Two arguments for impeaching now Impeachment supporters offer two replicas of this. One is based on principles; the other practical. As a matter of principle, they say that the current President of the United States very much deserves this reprimand that will tarnish his legacy, and say that he also sets the necessary limits for future presidential behavior. Some legal experts interviewed agree that Trump deserves this sanction. Joseph Ellis is a Pulitzer Prize winning historian who participates in published ratings from the best to the worst presidents in history. “The second impeachment will solidify the certainty that Donald Trump will be listed last [on the lists of best to worst president]”Said Ellis.” Without a doubt, Trump is the worst president in American history. “He said that the president, in his opinion, probably committed five or six impeachable acts known during his presidency. So, there is a practical reason – and it has more to do with the four-year period ahead of us than with the four years we’ve just witnessed. It’s about whether Trump can be stripped of his political power in the future, a power that stems in part from his ability to run again. It can take Trump out of his ability to run again. impeachment written by Democratic lawmakers refers to the Constitution’s 14th amendment, written after the Civil War, forbidding anyone involved in an insurrection to seek political office again. So if the House charges Trump, Senate Republicans will have two hot potatoes to One is the obvious question of condemning Trump. The second, arguably more important, asks: if the Senate really condemned humanity, what penalty would that impose? It could not include the disqualification of a future office, which would require a simple majority of votes, according to historical precedent in cases of non-presidential impeachment. Do not automatically assume that Senate Republicans will support Trump as he did the last time he was impeached. One observer suspects that many Washington Republicans would love to bury Trump politically. Legal ethics scholar Clark Cunningham said they would have a variety of motivations for wanting to oust Trump – including those with their own ambition to run for president in 2024. “I think very few people in the Senate, including Republicans, want Donald Trump to run for president. again or exercising substantial leadership in this country, “said Cunningham, professor of law and ethics at Georgia State University. WATCH | There may be violence in Biden’s possession, warns the FBI: “I don’t think there is any doubt about that.” That is why Cunningham thinks Democrats should try to build a bipartisan consensus, although possible, even when writing the impeachment article. Republican: We are afraid of Trump supporters. He says the current text is an error. Cunningham said proving that someone incited an insurrection is very complicated, depending on interpretations of the definition of “incitement” and “insurrection”. Cunningham says that a seditious conspiracy would have been a simpler claim to prove. Republicans have another reason to fear agreeing with this, which shows the gravity of this American political moment. It involves irritating people like that crowd that invaded the Capitol. A novice Michigan congressman, Republican Peter Meijer, wrote in an article about the terror his colleagues face. He said he knows a lawmaker who voted to overturn the election results last Wednesday night for fear that relatives would be harmed. Meijer, who voted to confirm Biden’s presidency, said: “I have been called a traitor more times than I can count. I am sorry I did not bring my gun to DC” It is too early to assess the political effects of last week: some research suggests that Trump’s support has dropped to the lowest level in three years, and Republicans are opposed to the taking of the Capitol, but other polls suggest that Republicans wanted Biden’s victory to be nullified and split up in the turmoil. The first dilemma belongs to the vice president of Trump. WATCH | The law professor says there are few options for removing Trump from office: Pence has received death threats on social media sites, including Twitter and Parler, since he chaired the congressional ceremony certifying Biden’s victory. His relationship with Trump is publicly strained. And if the House of Representatives votes tonight to invoke the 25th amendment, his next move is in deciding whether to try to get a majority of the cabinet to defeat Trump. There is no way that could happen, said a law professor who wrote a prescient book before the election about scenarios that could happen if Trump refused to admit defeat. Lawrence Douglas told CBC News that he cannot imagine Pence angering most Republican voters. “[Maybe] if we lived in a less deformed political scenario, “said the professor at Amherst College.” I can’t imagine Mike Pence doing this. We need to distinguish between what should happen and what will happen. I really can’t imagine Mike Pence doing this. “So let’s go to impeachment – again.