Donald Trump’s fiery speech at a rally just before the attack on the Capitol came at the heart of the impeachment accusation against him, even as the lies he spread for months about election fraud are still being incited by some Republicans.
A Capitol police officer died from injuries sustained in the riot, and police shot and killed a woman during the siege. Three others died in what authorities said was a medical emergency.
What to watch as the Democratic-controlled House moves to impeach Trump for the second time in 13 months – now with just days left in the lost presidential term :
The Democratic case for impeachment
One charge against Trump – “terrorist incitement” – follows the deadly Capitol riot in an impeachment resolution that the House will begin debating on Wednesday. It is a shocking end to Trump’s leadership as a Democrat and a growing number of Republicans say he is unfit for office and could do more damage after instigating a movement that attacked on the Capitol.
“President Trump posed a serious threat to the security of the United States and its government institutions,” he read part of the four-page impeachment bill. “Allowing him to remain in office will continue to pose a threat to national security, democracy and the constitution. “
House spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said impeachment is needed despite so few days left in Trump’s term. “The American president’s threat is urgent, so will our action,” she said.
Trump’s actions were personal for Pelosi and many other lawmakers. She was among those stranded in a bunker during the Capitol riots, and armed protesters threatened workers with nails with the words “Where is Nancy? “
The House of Representatives will meet at 9am ET (2pm GMT) and an introductory debate and some procedural votes will follow. Then around lunchtime there should be about two hours of debate about the impeachment articles, ending with a vote in mid to late afternoon, around 3pm ET (8pm GMT). Voting in the House takes between 40 minutes and an hour. The vote is almost over, as Democrats have a majority, and several Republicans have already said they will support the move. The next step of the process is to send the impeachment articles to the Senate.
How many Republicans support impeachment?
Unlike the last time Trump was introduced, when no House Republican backed accusations against Trump about a call he made to the new Ukrainian president, the impeachment effort has drawn support from some Republicans.
House minority leader Kevin McCarthy of California and his deputy, Louisiana representative Steve Scalise, are again expected to oppose impeachment, but Wyoming representative Liz Cheney, Republican House No 3, said Tuesday that she will support him.
Representatives John Katko, a New York Republican, and Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, also said they will reject impeachment, and some other Republicans are likely to follow suit.
McCarthy, one of Trump’s closest allies in Congress, spoke to Trump saying “impeachment at this time would have another effect on bringing our country together”.
Will the House fine TrumpThe
In a rare move of impeachment, McCarthy and other Republicans have come up with the idea of criticizing Trump’s house. While it was not clear what support the proposal supports, McCarthy said a censure or other tool – such as a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack – would “ensure that the events of January 6 are denied. right and that they will be banned in the future “.
Democrats, with the votes to impeach him, are not buying him.
When would impeachment articles go to the Senate?
Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell – who will remain in charge of the Senate until the Democrats take over, perhaps as early as January 20 – says January 19 is the earliest day the Senate could consider impeachment. , the day before Trump resigned and Joe Biden consecrated. Democratic leaders have been exploring their recollection of the Senate earlier, though that would still require McConnell’s cooperation. It is therefore likely that any vote to condemn Trump would be held after he has already resigned, with a possible lawsuit on January 20 or January 21. There is a suggestion, however, that the Democratic-controlled House could delay sending the articles to the Senate until the Biden administration is established and its cabinet election is confirmed by the Senate, so as not to disturb the beginning of his term in office. Biden has suggested that the Senate divide its time between impeachment and its agenda.
How many votes are needed in the Senate to persuade Trump?
Impeachment must pass by a two-thirds majority in the Senate, which needs 67 votes. After the Democrats’ two successes in Georgia’s run-through elections, the new Senate will be nearly 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Kamala Harris holding the ballot. That means 17 Republican senators had to vote to condemn Trump. The outgoing president was easily found on all counts in his previous impeachment trial as no Republican in the Senate found him guilty.
Will any Republican vote in the Senate to condemn Trump this time?
Things could be different in 2021. To begin with, the accusation is much simpler and simpler – that Trump is guilty of inciting revolution, rather than the complex and deceptive affairs in the Ukraine was the subject of his first impeachment. So far five Republican representatives in the House have come forward saying they would vote for a high-profile, but, so far, there have been no Senators. It’s hard to imagine the tough guys like Ted Cruz or Josh Hawley, who voted against Joe Biden’s election victory, now going behind an attempt to impress Trump.
However, reports from both the New York Times and Axios reveal that those close to Senate leader McConnell seem to believe he believes Trump’s crimes are accessible. and may be willing to vote to condemn him in a Senate lawsuit. If that were true, it would make it easier for another Republican to do so.
If Trump is found guilty, does that stop him from running for president again?
Not automatically. However, if convicted, the Senate could continue with another vote to ban him from running for office, calling for a simple majority to pass. This vote would include the 14th amendment, which bans from federal or state office anyone participating in a revolution or insurgency. Accepted in the aftermath of the U.S. civil war, the amendment states that no one should hold office in the U.S. if they have been involved in a revolution or uprising. out against the U.S. while an elected official.
Can the 14th Amendment be used even if Trump has been acquitted?
While there is certainly controversy and subject to legal challenge, some experts believe the 14th amendment could be used to prevent Donald Trump from running for office again even though obtained cheap. Again, this would require only a simple majority vote in the Senate, which, under Democratic control, would tend to pass.
How Trump respondsThe
So far, Trump has taken no responsibility for his part in attacking the violent uprising, despite his remarks urging supporters to march on the Capitol and praise them while they were still making the attack. “People thought what I said was completely appropriate,” he said Tuesday.
One big difference from Trump’s first impeachment: he no longer has Twitter feed to respond in real time.
Step-by-step security
As a sign of the increased tension after the attack, house lawyers have to go through a metal detector for the first time before they can enter the room.
This new security measure will remain in effect every day the house is in a future session, under the direction of Timothy Blodgett, the theater’s armed-forces sergeant. Blodgett replaced the long-serving armed sergeant, who resigned after widespread criticism of poor security planning for a Jan. 6 certification vote.
Blodgett also told lawyers that they must wear masks during the Covid-19 emergency and must remove them from the room if they do not.
Do lawyers reinforce feelings on the floor?
While debate about the House is often encouraging, feelings are expected to run remarkably high while lawyers debate impeachment. Not only is this the second time they have voted on such a measure, the debate comes just weeks after a majority of House Republicans complained about confirming Biden’s influence, setting the stage for the hour-long siege that rocked the Capitol and the nation.
A recent outbreak of Covid-19 among lawyers held in custody by others who refused to wear masks has increased tensions.