AMN / WEB DESK
Donald Trump has become the first US president to be impeached twice. The House of Representatives voted last night to charge him with inciting last week’s mob attack on US Congress.
Trump was impeached by 232 – 197 vote by the US House on a single charge of incitement of insurrection that left five dead and the Capitol ransacked. It was supported by all Democrats and 10 Republicans, including Liz Cheney. The Senate will not hold a trial before January 20, when Democrat Joe Biden assumes the presidency, meaning Mr Trump will escape the risk of being forced to leave early.
One of the final dramas of a tumultuous presidency, the impeachment unfolded against the backdrop of near-chaos in the House and uncertainty about where Trump’s exit leaves the GOP. Democrats and Republicans exchanged accusations and name-calling throughout the day, while Trump loyalists were livid at fellow Republicans who broke ranks – especially Cheney – leaving the party’s leadership shaken.
But despite the emotions stirred by the Capitol assault, the great majority of Republicans stood by the president, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.. He argued on the House floor that while Trump bears responsibility for the attack on the Capitol, the snap impeachment would only “further fan the flames of partisan division.”
McCarthy for the first time publicly endorsed a censure for Trump, but the call came too late to serve as an effective alternative to impeachment.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other Democrats made it clear Wednesday that censure would not suffice given the circumstances, with Trump riling up his supporters with false claims of election fraud, then urging them to march on Congress as it was certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.