House Democrats released the single article of impeachment that they will file against President Donald on Monday for allegedly inciting what they claimed was an “insurrection” last week when a riot broke out at the U.S. Capitol Building following a rally the president held.
The article of impeachment stated that during the rally that Trump “willfully made statements that encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — imminent lawless action at the Capitol. Incited by President Trump, a mob unlawfully breached the Capitol, injured law enforcement personnel, interfered with the Joint Session’s solemn constitutional duty to certify the election results, and engaged in violent, deadly, destructive, and seditious acts.”
“President Trump’s conduct on January 6, 2021 was consistent with his prior efforts to subvert and obstruct the certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election,” the article of impeachment stated. “Those prior efforts include, but are not limited to, a phone call on January 2, 2021, in which President Trump urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to ‘find’ enough votes to overturn the Georgia presidential election results and threatened Mr. Raffensperger if he failed to do so.”
“In all of this, President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government,” the document stated. “He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coordinate branch of government. He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.”
“Werefore President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law,” the article of impeachment concluded. “President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.”
The article of impeachment will be introduced at 11 a.m. EST when the House goes into session today. CNN reported that Democrats plan to hold a vote on impeaching the president this week, which, if successful, will make Trump the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice.
NEWS: The House charges Trump with one article of impeachment: inciting an insurrection. The House will vote later this week. pic.twitter.com/L9ecR8VFxR
— Lauren Fox (@FoxReports) January 11, 2021
“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told House Democrats on Sunday evening that the House would proceed with bringing an impeachment resolution to the floor this week unless Vice President Mike Pence moves to invoke the 25th Amendment with a majority of the Cabinet to remove Trump from power,” CNN reported. “Pelosi’s letter was the first time she explicitly said that the House would take up impeachment on the floor this week, though it was clear that House Democrats have rapidly coalesced around an impeachment resolution in the days following the riots at the Capitol where five people died, including a US Capitol Police officer.”
Democrat Reps. David Cicilline (RI), Jamie Raskin (MD), and Ted Lieu (CA) introduced the article of impeachment against Trump.
Cicilline claimed on Twitter last night that 210 members of Congress support the move to impeach the president.
Now 210 cosponsors. #impeach https://t.co/Vwnc3tmKSO
— David Cicilline (@davidcicilline) January 10, 2021