House impeaches Trump with 10 Republicans joining, but Senate plans unclear
By Mike DeBonis, Seung Min Kim 2 hrs ago
The House broke new ground Wednesday by impeaching a president for a second time, a week before he leaves office, indicting President Trump for inciting a riot with false claims of a stolen election that led to the storming of the Capitol and five deaths.
Unlike Trump’s first impeachment, which proceeded with almost no GOP support, Wednesday’s effort attracted 10 Republicans, including Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 party leader in the House. The Senate now appears likely to hold a trial after Trump’s departure, an unprecedented scenario with uncertain consequences.
he final vote was 232-197.
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, including Cheney, leaving the party’s leadership shaken.
The Republicans who broke from Trump as the president prepares to leave office in a week represent varying factions of the caucus, from Cheney, the third ranking in House GOP leadership, to Rep. Fred Upton (Mich.), a moderate who has been in office for three decades, to Rep. Tom Rice (S.C.), a conservative who has been loyal to Trump. The other Republicans who voted to impeach Trump are: Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.), John Katko (N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Peter Meijer (Mich.), Dan Newhouse (Wash.), David Valadao (Calif.).
Most 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,” which came together in a matter of days following the riot, would only “further fan the flames of partisan division.”
McCarthy publicly endorsed censuring Trump for the first time, 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 in any case, given that Trump orchestrated a mob attack on Congress as it was certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
“He must go,” Pelosi said. “He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love.”
The House took a final vote Wednesday afternoon, one week after the riot and just two days after the impeachment resolution was filed. It was a stunningly swift response from a House that took nearly three months to impeach Trump in 2019 on charges of abuse of power and contempt of Congress.
READ MORE: House impeaches Trump with 10 Republicans joining, but Senate plans unclear
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Posted By: Dea. Ron Gray Sr.
Wednesday, January 13th 2021 at 7:18PM
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