House Democrats Begin Impeachment Process, Charge Trump with "Inciting Violence" Against U.S. Government
In the wake of an unprecedented insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6—incited by President Trump through months of baseless and inflammatory accusations of voter fraud, which he repeated in a speech to supporters on the morning of the siege—Democrats have introduced an article of impeachment in the House. Below, where Congress is in the impeachment progress.
House Democrats introduced the impeachment resolution on January 11.
Less than a week after the insurrection at the Capitol, Democrats introduced an article of impeachment against President Trump, charging him with "incitement of insurrection."
The four-page article accuses Trump of engaging in "high crimes and misdemeanors by inciting violence against the government of the United States," and cites his repeated false and baseless claims of voter fraud and his speech to his supporters on January 6, ahead of the siege on the Capitol. The article states that during that address, Trump "willfully made statements that, in context, encouraged—and forseeably resulted in—lawless action at the Capitol, such as: 'if you don't fight like hell you're not going to have a country anymore.'" It also cites the phone call Trump made to Georgia's secretary of state on January 2, in which the president urged the official to "find" enough votes to overturn the state's election results.
Notably, the article also references the 14th Amendment, which was added to the Constitution after the Civil War to prevent anyone who had “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding public office.
The article could be brought to the House floor as soon as January 13.
On the same day that the article of impeachment was introduced, House Democrats also tried to move a resolution to formally call on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, removing Trump from power. Republicans objected to the measure, meaning that the House would have to call a full vote on it—probably on January 12. House leaders feel confident that it will pass, and afterwards, if Pence does not invoke the 25th Amendment "within 24 hours," Democrats will move to consider the article of impeachment on the House floor.
“The president’s threat to America is urgent, and so too will be our action,” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said, per the New York Times. Majority leader Steny H. Hoyer told reporters, “There may well be a vote on impeachment on Wednesday.”
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