| 1.12.21

Should Trump be impeached? Tell your reps today

Would you support impeaching President Trump?

By Josh Herman, Countable News

What's the story?

The House moved to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday for inciting the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week.

How did this happen?

Last Thursday, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) posted photos of the Articles of Impeachment and said: “We need to move quickly to remove this President from office.”

Politicians on both sides of the aisle have placed the blame for the riot on President Donald Trump.

What did Trump say just prior to the riot?

During the “Save America March” earlier on Wednesday, President Trump elaborated on his unfounded, inflammatory claims of election fraud. With Congress scheduled to begin certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory, Trump told the crowd:

“Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, we are going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you, we’re going to walk down to the Capitol ... [Y]ou’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong. We have got to demand the Congress to do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated. I know that everyone here will soon be marching over the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”

Before the speech, Trump’s lawyer Rudolph Giuliani championed a “trial by combat” to the crowd.
And, in December, Trump tweeted: “Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!”

What did Trump say and do during the insurrection?

While information is still coming in, sources are saying it was Vice President Mike Pence, not Trump, who coordinated the government's response to the violence, including mobilizing the National Guard.
Trump, in tweets and a video, offered mild condemnation of the riots while also justifying the crimes committed over his false claims. (The tweets and video were deleted by Twitter in an attempt, the company said, to prevent additional violence)

In response to Trump's actions - or lack thereof - a number of aides to the president began submitting their resignations: the first lady's chief of staff Stephanie Grisham, the White House social secretary, a deputy press secretary, and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

What are people saying about impeachment?

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

"I join the Senate Democratic leader [Chuck Schumer] in calling on the Vice President to remove this President by immediately invoking the 25th Amendment. If the vice president and the Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment that is the overwhelming sentiment of my caucus and the American people."

For more on the 25th Amendment, click on over to our sister article.