Democrats in the House of Representatives made good on their oaths to impose Donald Trump for the second historic visit Wednesday after last week’s attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.
The chamber voted for impeachment before 232 to 197 and the process is now moving to the Senate, where it is unclear whether any Republican will join the Democrats to vote to condemn Trump in a case for his provocative comments before the attack.
Here are five top takeaways from a day of high drama:
1 There are signs of deep division within the Republican party
Some of the most prominent members of Republican leadership are not rejecting the Democrats ’effort. Completely different. Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming, chair of the House Republican Conference, announced Tuesday that she would join Democrats and a handful of House Republicans in voting to impeach Trump.
On Wednesday, Senator Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in his chamber, pointed out to colleagues that he is not sure how he would vote. Privately, McConnell has left partners with the impression that he is happy that Democrats are moving to impeach Trump a second time.
Elsewhere, freshman lawyers are arguing with each other. Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina and communicator Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has supported the QAnon terrorist movement, got into a heated exchange, according to Axios. Mace blamed Greene and other QAnon supporters for the attack on the Capitol.
An ongoing question among members of Congress is whether any of the 10 House Republicans who split from their party and voted to persuade Trump against a blow of any kind. Some lawmakers privately supported a high-profile protest but may be concerned about voting for the impeachment of the physically threatened or the families of the oppressed Trump supporters.
2 The most bipartisan impeachment in American history
Unlike the last time Democrats attacked Trump, there is a higher level of bipartisan support for the move. Speaker Kevin McCarthy, leader of the House and top Republican minority in that chamber, said in a speech Wednesday that Trump was to blame for last week’s mob attack on the Capitol.
Ten House Republicans joined Democrats in voting for Trump’s impeachment. It is unclear how many Republicans are willing to condemn Trump in the Senate. A two-thirds majority of the Senate is required. McConnell ‘s possible openness to his conviction suggests that more than one or two senators may be willing to vote to condemn him.
That’s all a bit far from the last time Trump was introduced where he was almost entirely a party line vote. Trump was not then convicted.
3 Most Republicans refused to accept any fault
During Wednesday’s debate two patterns emerged among the arguments made by Republicans: rejection and rejection. Republicans have denied the mob attack again last week.
“Violence has no place in our politics. Time. I have utterly condemned the acts of senseless violence last week, and I strongly reiterate the calls for peace to remain in the coming weeks, ”the chair of the Republic’s National Committee, Ronna McDaniel, said in recitation.
Trump himself also released a statement saying he wanted to see a peaceful transition and consecration for Joe Biden, the president.
Republicans also shouted hypocrisy against Democrats for, in their words, avoiding the damage they did at the Black Lives Matter protests last summer.
“Democrats are on a record of supporting violence when it supports their cause,” Greene said in a floor speech. “Democrats will take away everyone’s guns as long as they have guards with guns . “
4 The Senate is a mystery
How things shake out in the Senate is a mystery. McConnell wrote in a letter to colleagues that he has not “made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to hear legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate”.
When Trump was first introduced, only Senator Mitt Romney of Utah joined the Democrats in voting to condemn him. This time it is possible that a few more Republicans could join the Democrats, even though they need 17 to condemn him.
McConnell himself said in another statement after the House vote that litigation was the earliest to begin after Biden was sworn in on Jan. 20. That contradicts a statement from McConnell Democratic representative Chuck Schumer.
“The trial of the Senate may begin immediately, with the agreement of the current Director of the Majority of the Assembly to reconvene the Assembly for an emergency session, or begin after January 19. But make no mistake no, there will be an impeachment lawsuit in the United States Senate; there will be a vote to convict the president for heinous crimes and misconduct; And if the president is confirmed, a vote will be barred from running again, “Schumer said in a statement.
5 Democrats appear to have security concerns with a good foundation
Reporters and lawyers noted the increased security presence around the Capitol. Spokesman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts noted in his floor speech that more U.S. troops surrounded the Capitol than were stationed in Afghanistan.
There is generally a high awareness of another attack. Biden was briefed by officials from the Secret Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation of security concerns to be set up. In a report from the Boston Globe, caller Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts found during the mob attack that the panic buttons were ripped out of her office.