WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) – Democrats are expected to present an impeachment article against outgoing President Donald Trump next week over deadly Capitol protests, as the campaign divides Republicans in the Senate, the upper house responsible for make a judgment.
US Congressman Ted Lieu of California, a Democratic member of the US House Judiciary Committee, tweeted on Saturday that the impeachment article, which has so far had 180 co-sponsors, will be presented during Monday’s pro forma session in the lower chamber.
Lieu, Congressmen David Cicilline of Rhode Island and Jamie Raskin of Maryland wrote the impeachment article seeking to remove Trump for “inciting insurrection” at the United States Capitol on Wednesday.
A crowd of Trump supporters oppressed the police and violently violated the Capitol that day when Congress was certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 race for the White House. Chaos and violence forced a blockade on the Capitol grounds and left five people dead, including a policeman, and dozens of others injured.
Trump spoke at a rally outside the White House shortly before deadly violence unfolded on Capitol Hill, urging his supporters to march towards the landmark to encourage Republican lawmakers to challenge the results of the Electoral College, as he refused to acknowledge its legitimacy. with unsubstantiated allegations of fraud voter.
On Saturday, US prosecutors filed 17 lawsuits in the federal district court and 40 others in the District Court of Columbia for a variety of crimes, ranging from assaulting police officers to entering restricted areas of the United States Capitol, stealing property and threaten lawmakers.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the main Democrat in Congress, has publicly expressed support for starting Trump’s impeachment process for the second time in just over a year.
The Democratic-led House overturned Trump in 2019 after an investigation sparked by a whistleblower’s complaint that raised concerns about the White House’s interactions with Ukraine. Later, the Republican-led Senate acquitted the president, allowing him to remain in office.
The United States Constitution states that the House of Representatives “will have the sole power of impeachment” and that “the Senate will have the sole power to try all impeachments”.
Through the impeachment process, the United States Congress charges and then prosecutes a federal government official for “Treason, Bribery or other Serious Crimes and Misdemeanors”. The definition of “serious crimes and misdemeanors” is not specified in the Constitution and has long been subject to debate.
The conviction can only take place in the United States Senate and requires that at least two-thirds of its members, or 67 senators, vote in favor of at least one impeachment article after a trial. No acting US president has ever been removed from office by impeachment.
Senate Republicans are divided over the pressure of impeachment.
Senator Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican about to retire in 2022, told Fox News in an interview that he believes Trump “committed impeachable crimes” by inciting violence on U.S. Capitol Hill.
However, Toomey stressed that he does not know whether it is “possible or practical” to proceed with the impeachment process, as Trump has only 11 days remaining in office before Biden takes office on January 20.
“I’m not sure if it is desirable to try to force him out, which, a day or two or three before the day he is going to end anyway,” he explained. “So I’m not sure that this is the best way to go.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, tweeted on Friday that he thinks “any attempt to impeach President Trump would not only be unsuccessful in the Senate, but would be a dangerous precedent for the future. of the presidency. “
“I am convinced that impeachment, under these circumstances, will further divide the country and erode the very institution of the presidency,” wrote Graham. “It will take both parties to heal the nation.”
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, would have circulated a memo to colleagues outlining procedures for holding another trial for Trump in the upper house if the House accuses him again.
The Senate is currently in recess until January 19, the day before the end of Trump’s presidency, and the impeachment process cannot begin before that, unless all 100 senators consent to an early return, a scenario that is unlikely to happen.
Trump has announced that he will not attend the inauguration of Biden, the first U.S. president who leaves office to skip the inauguration of his successor in more than 150 years.
Vice President Mike Pence is said to be attending the event at the Capitol, at Biden’s invitation.
The US Congress affirmed on Thursday morning the votes of the 2020 Electoral College, in which Biden won 306 against 232 for Trump. At least 270 electoral votes are needed to win the White House. Biden also won popular votes by 7 million and more than 4 percentage points.
Shortly after Biden’s victory congressional certification, Trump acknowledged defeat and vowed to guarantee “a smooth, orderly and continuous power transition”. Enditem