House To Reconvene To Impeach Trump Over Inciting Violence

The US House of Representatives will reconvene Wednesday to vote to impeach President Donald Trump over charges of inciting violence at the Capitol.

As Democrats hold a majority in the House, Trump is likely to become the first U.S. president to be impeached twice. He was impeached by the House in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday named nine Democrats as managers of the impeachment trial.

Five Republican lawmakers, including top-ranking House GOP leader Liz Cheney, announced they would vote to impeach Trump. “There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,” according to the Wyoming representative.

She was referring to Trump followers’ failed violent attempt to block the Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election victory on January 6, which resulted in the death of five people. Several properties of the Congress were damaged and a laptop of House Speaker was stolen in the rampage at the Capitol.

Tuesday night, the House approved a resolution by 223-205 votes calling on Vice-President Mike Pence to help remove the President through the 25th Amendment, but Pence has already said that he did not prefer invoking the constitutional option.

In a letter to Nancy Pelosi ahead of the vote, Pence wrote, “With just eight days left in the President’s term, you and the Democratic caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment. I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our nation or consistent with our Constitution.”

Even if the impeachment move is passed in The House, it will not be an easy task in the Senate, where a two-thirds majority would be needed to convict Trump.

The Democrats need the support of at least 17 Republican senators to reach that target in the 100 member Upper House.

The New York Times reported that 20 Republican Senators were in favor of convicting Trump.

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