People wearing protective masks hold a US flag at the Barclays Center during the “Get him out of here! Defend democracy” rally, the day after supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in New York’s Brooklyn neighborhood , New York, USA, January 7, 2021.
Jeenah Moon | Reuters
The House may propose impeachment for President Donald Trump next week if Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet do not remove the president before that, a senior Democrat said on Friday.
Massachusetts Representative Katherine Clark, the House’s fourth Democratic position, told CNN that the House could act “as early as the middle of next week.” She said the House could take steps to bring impeachment articles to the floor without going through hearings and voting on committees.
The House prepared for Trump’s impeachment an unprecedented second time after a pro-Trump crowd stormed the Capitol on Wednesday and delayed Congress’ formal count of electoral victory for President-elect Joe Biden. At least five people, including a US Capitol Police officer, died as a result of the attack on the legislature.
Trump spoke to his supporters before marching to the Capitol, launching conspiracy theories that widespread fraud cost him the election. He lied to them about the results for two months before acknowledging on Thursday that a “new government” would take power.
Biden will take office on January 20. Democrats have called for the removal of Trump because they warn that he may further degrade democratic institutions or put more lives at risk during his final days in office.
But it is not clear whether they have enough time to remove the president before the inauguration day – or whether Republicans will join them in the process.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., And Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., on Thursday asked Pence and the Trump Cabinet to remove Trump by invoking the 25th Amendment. They said he could not remain in office after inciting an “insurrection”. More than 190 other lawmakers, only one Republican, have also called for Trump’s removal since the attack.
Pelosi and Schumer said that invoking the 25th Amendment, which requires the support of Pence and the majority of the Cabinet, would be the quickest way to remove Trump. However, Pence reportedly does not support the movement. While officials, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the prospect of ousting Trump, they decided not to take that step for the time being.
The day after hundreds of protesters invaded the United States Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said again that Vice President Mike Pence should invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office or she will begin a process impeachment against the president during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, January 7, 2021.
Melina Mara | The Washington Post | Getty Images
Pelosi and Schumer threatened on Thursday to proceed with impeachment if Pence and the Cabinet do not act. The House Judiciary Committee chairman, Mr Jerry Nadler, DN.Y., called for the removal of the president on Thursday. He said he could take steps to streamline the process.
“We have a limited amount of time to act,” Nadler said in a statement. “The nation cannot afford a long and time-consuming process, and I support bringing impeachment articles directly to the House floor.”
Democrats will convene the caucus on Friday, where they should discuss plans to remove the president.
The Democratic-held House would have sufficient support for Trump’s impeachment, probably with a handful of Republican votes. The chamber did so once in December 2019.
But the Republican-controlled Senate, which acquitted the president last year, may not follow suit. Only one Republican – Mitt Romney of Utah – voted to remove Trump after his first impeachment trial.
Until Democratic Senator-elect Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia swear to seal the Democratic majority, Republicans will have a 51-48 advantage in the Senate. A two-thirds vote to remove Trump would need 66 votes, with 18 Republicans on board.
At least one Republican who voted against removing Trump for the first time would take this more seriously now.
“If the House meets and has a lawsuit, I would definitely consider any articles that they submit, because, as I told you, I believe the President disregarded his term oath. …,” Senator Ben Sasse, R- Neb., Told CBS on Friday.
Senator Lindsey Graham, RS.C., argued in a tweet on Friday that Trump’s impeachment now “would do more harm than good.” He said the effort to remove a president who helped unleash a siege on the Capitol “would not only not succeed in the Senate, but would set a dangerous precedent for the future of the presidency.”
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