House Democrats on Monday morning introduced an article of impeachment against President Donald John Trump for inciting a mob that attacked the Capitol last week, vowing to press ahead with the charge as Republicans blocked their move to formally call on Vice President Mike Pence to strip him of all power under the 25th Amendment. The dual actions came as Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her caucus sought to ratchet up pressure on Mr. Pence to intervene and push Mr. Trump to resign. If they did not, the Democrats vowed immediate consequences for Mr. Trump’s role in an attack that put the lives of the vice president, the Speaker, members of Congress and thousands of staff working on Capitol Hill at risk as they met to formalize President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory.
The resolution from Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland on Monday urging Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment was brought up by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer who asked for unanimous consent to bring up the resolution, but West Virginia GOP Rep. Alex Mooney quickly objected to the request. Speaker Pelosi has said the Democrats will move to bring the resolution for a floor vote on Tuesday. Democrats are calling on Pence to respond within 24 hours, she said. If that does not happen, Democrats will bring their impeachment resolution to the floor. Timing of an impeachment vote is still fluid, though the expectation is it would happen on Wednesday.
The impeachment resolution itself was introduced by Democratic Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Jaime Raskin of Maryland and Ted Lieu of California. The resolution now has more than 200 co-sponsors, nearly all of the Democratic caucus. The resolution would likely go to the House Rules Committee before it’s brought to the floor.
The House is now adjourned until 9:00 a.m. ET tomorrow. The Senate remains in recess until January 19th and it would require the consent of all 100 senators to conduct any business of any kind during the scheduled pro forma sessions prior to January 19, and therefore the consent of all 100 senators to begin acting on any articles of impeachment during those sessions. On the cusp of the second impeachment battle in just over a year, outgoing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is circulating a memo to Republican senators that outlines how a potential Senate trial would work for President Trump — proceedings that would all but certainly occur after he leaves the White House. In the memo, McConnell’s office notes that the Senate will not reconvene for substantive business until January 19, which means the earliest possible date that impeachment trial proceedings can begin in the Senate is the day before President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated.
A look across polls conducted since riots at the Capitol on Wednesday shows that a clear plurality of Americans overall want Trump out of office, even as President-elect Joe Biden is set to be inaugurated on January 20.
You can see that in an ABC News/Ipsos poll released on Sunday. The majority (56%) say Trump should be removed from office, while just 43% believe he should not be removed.
Speaker Pelosi Dear Colleague on Next Steps in Protecting Our Democracy
JANUARY 10, 2021
Dear Democratic Colleague,
On this Sunday, as we pray that God will continue to Bless America, I write to inform you of our next actions, which will be made with the great solemnity that this moment requires.
I want to call to your immediate attention the action to be taken tomorrow morning, when Majority Leader Hoyer will request Unanimous Consent to bring up the Raskin resolution. This resolution calls on the Vice President to convene and mobilize the Cabinet to activate the 25th Amendment to declare the President incapable of executing the duties of his office, after which the Vice President would immediately exercise powers as acting President. The text of the resolution can be found here.
If we do not receive Unanimous Consent, this legislation is planned to be brought up on the Floor the following day. We are calling on the Vice President to respond within 24 hours.
Next, we will proceed with bringing impeachment legislation to the Floor.
In protecting our Constitution and our Democracy, we will act with urgency, because this President represents an imminent threat to both. As the days go by, the horror of the ongoing assault on our democracy perpetrated by this President is intensified and so is the immediate need for action.
I look forward to our Caucus call tomorrow. I am grateful to all Members for the suggestions, observations and input that you have been sending. Your views on the 25th Amendment, 14th Amendment Section 3 and impeachment are valued as we continue. I am answering your communications in chronological order and will do so into the night.
Thank you for your patriotism.
Prayerfully,
-nancy
