Trump Impeached for the second time

Outgoing US President, Donald Trump has been impeached by the House for the second time.

Lawmakers at the House on Wednesday voted to impeach Trump after last week’s violent attack on the US Capitol. The impeachment was on the grounds of ‘incitement of insurrection’.

“We know that the President of the United States incited insurrection, this armed rebellion against our common country,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love.”

The vote on Trump’s impeachment on the House level was 232 to 197, with 10 Republicans voting against Trump. The incident at the Capitol disrupted the certification of President-elect Joe Biden and caused lawmakers to vacate the chambers with immediate effect.

The President, reportedly, urged his supporters to “peacefully and patriotically” express themselves, but to also “fight like hell” against any election injustice, he claimed. Trump’s impeachment will be the first time a president is impeached twice in US history and the fourth presidential impeachment in all.

The article of impeachment against Trump stated that he “repeatedly issued false statements asserting that the presidential election results were fraudulent and should not be accepted.” It also stated that Trump repeated the claims “willfully and made statements to the crowd that encouraged and foreseeably resulted in lawless action at the Capitol,” all of which led to violence and destruction.

“President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government, threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of government.”

The impeachment would not keep Trump out of office but will prevent him from ever running for the presidential seat. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Trump will not face his trial until after Biden is sworn into office next Wednesday.

In a video released on Wednesday, President Trump called on his supporters to avoid any form of violence, calling on them to remain peaceful.

“Violence and vandalism have no place in our country… No true supporter of mine would ever endorse political violence,” said Trump.

Earlier this week, Trump also approved an emergency declaration as there have been rumors about another violent attack during Biden’s inauguration. The FBI has warned of a second riot across the 50 states, which will include the use of arms.

The swift vote on Trump’s impeachment showed that lawmakers had enough of the President’s misconduct. The previous three impeachments of former presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton lasted months-long, with investigations and hearings, before final votes were cast. However, in Trump’s case, it took only a week for lawmakers to decide, citing the President’s role in the violent attack on the Capitol last week.

While House Democrat lawmakers and son Republicans have outrightly blamed Trump for the Capitol attack, and pushed for his impeachment, House Minority Leader said there was a need to take things slow. He urged the President to accept responsibility for Wednesday’s attack and “quell the brewing unrest.” He argued that the House should have created a bipartisan commission instead of an impeachment.

“I believe impeaching the President in such a short timeframe would be a mistake,” McCarthy said. “No investigations have been completed. No hearings have been held.”