Trump impeachment vote ‘as early as mid-next-week,’ House Democrat says

Democratic U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, assistant House speaker, said the House Democrats are eyeing a vote to impeach President Donald Trump as early as “mid-next week.”

“Donald Trump needs to be removed from office. And we are going to proceed with every tool that we have to make sure that that happens to protect our democracy,” Clark told CNN.

“We know that we have limited time, but that every day that Donald Trump is president of the United States, is a day of grave danger. So we can use procedural tools to get articles of impeachment to the floor for a House vote quickly,” she continued.

In 2020, Trump became just the third president to be impeached before he was acquitted by the U.S. Senate. No president has been impeached twice.

Clark’s remarks come as more lawmakers call on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday following the president’s remarks at a “Save America Rally.” The amendment allows the vice president and Cabinet members to declare a president unable to perform the duties of office, thereby stripping the president of power.

The New York Times reported that Pence doesn’t support invoking the amendment, which requires the support of a majority of Cabinet officials.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that the 25th Amendment is the best way to remove Trump since it allows him to be removed immediately, but she added that her Democratic colleagues are “very much interested” in impeachment, McClatchyDC reported.

“My phone is exploding: Impeach, impeach, impeach,” she said.

The potential articles of impeachment were being circulated Thursday and says Trump should be impeached for “abuse of power.”

The resolution says Trump “has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.”

“I join the Senate Democratic leader in calling on the vice president to remove this president by immediately invoking the 25th Amendment,” Pelosi said at a news conference Thursday. “If the vice president and 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.”

“By inciting sedition as he did yesterday he must be removed from office,” Pelosi continued. “While there’s only 13 days left, any day can be a horror show for America.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also called on Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump.

“If the Vice President and the Cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress should reconvene to impeach the president, plain and simple,” he said during a news conference Thursday.

Trump conceded his loss two months after the election through a video statement Thursday but made no mention of Biden. Trump said he’s ready to “get on with the business of America” and advocated for an “orderly and seamless” transition.

Trump has made baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud and challenged the results of the election for months. He spoke at a rally of his supporters on the National Mall on Wednesday as Congress convened to certify the Electoral College vote and cement President-elect Joe Biden’s win.

Lawmakers from both parties blamed Trump’s rhetoric for the following riot at the Capitol that led to at least five deaths, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer and a woman who was shot and killed by police.

A growing majority of Democratic lawmakers have called for impeachment and at least one Republican, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, CNN reported

Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska said an interview with “CBS This Morning” Friday that he’d consider articles of impeachment.

“If they come together and have a process, I will definitely consider whatever articles they might move, because as I told you I believe the president has disregarded his oath of office,” Sasse said.

“He swore an oath to the American people to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. He acted against that,” Sasse said. “What he did was wicked.”

This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 6:21 AM with the headline "Trump impeachment vote ‘as early as mid-next-week,’ House Democrat says."