Donald Trump is First President in History to Be Impeached Twice
In a historic moment in politics, Donald Trump has been impeached a second time following the Jan
Photo: Unsplash/@HistoryHD
In a historic moment in politics, Donald Trump has been impeached a second time following the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. The House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to charge Trump with “incitement of insurrection” for the siege of the Capitol that occurred after a speech he gave on Jan.6 to supporters outside the White House. He urged his followers to “peacefully and patriotically” make their voices heard, but also to “fight like hell” against an election that he continues to allege was rigged calling it a “disgrace”. Later that day Trump supporters stormed the Capitol while lawmakers were certifying the election results leading to a lockdown and the deaths of five people. Trump was first impeached in Dec. 2019 following an inquiry into his ties with Ukraine.
The article of impeachment states that Trump “repeatedly issued false statements asserting that the presidential election results were fraudulent and should not be accepted”. It states that his behavior makes him a “threat” to national security and democracy if he remains in office.
“President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power,
and imperiled a coequal branch of Government. He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.”
In a truly historic bipartisan effort, 10 Republican members joined Democrats to impeach Trump by 232-197 with no Democrats voting against it. Two Latino Republicans voted for the impeachment and in all the Republican votes for Trump’s impeachment are the most ever from a president’s own party. For two hours members of the House, which is controlled by Democrats, made statement in favor of or against the vote. Congressman Julián Castro, who has asked for Trump to take accountability for the riot, called him “the most dangerous man to ever occupy the Oval Office“. Republican Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington and Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio voted for the impeachment with Herrera Beutler saying, “I’m not choosing a side, I’m choosing truth. It’s the only way to defeat fear.”
The next step is a trial at the Senate but since there are only seven days left in Trump’s term it could extend past his time in office. If that’s the case, the Senate can still choose to convict him with a two-thirds vote and bar him from holding any federal office in the future.
