The US Congress gives the green light to the second impeachment against Trump

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Only a week after the assault on the Capitol and just a week before Joe Biden takes office as president, the United States Congress has approved the process of impeachment against Donald Trump, which will have to be debated later in the Senate.

This Wednesday, and for the second time during his mandate, Congress has approved to prosecute the still president for a single charge: “Inciting insurrection.” Ten Republicans have voted in favor of it, adding their voices to those of the Democratic caucus like never before. The measure has gone ahead with a total of 232 favorable votes, compared to 197 against.

“The president of the United States incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion against our country. He has to go, ”House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said during the debate, describing Trump as“ a clear and present danger to the nation ”in a session that lasted more than seven hours.

“I ask you to search your soul and answer these questions: Does the president’s war against democracy comply with the Constitution? Were his words and his mob of insurgents a serious crime and a misdeed? ”Pelosi has launched to the congressmen.

Democrats maintain that, by encouraging the assault on the Capitol, “Trump seriously endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government”, “betrayed his confidence as president” and, therefore, should be removed.

“For a long time, President Trump issued false statements in which he assured that the results of the presidential elections were the product of fraud and should not be accepted,” states the text of impeachment written by the Democratic congressmen David Cicilline, Jamie Raskin and Ted Lieu, who in the resolution reproduce literal phrases with which Donald Trump harangued his followers before the assault, such as: “If you don’t fight like crazy, you are going to stop having a country ”.

Trump criticized Democrats on Tuesday for initiating the impeachment, calling it “absolutely ridiculous”, and warning that it will only provoke “more anger.”

However, the Republican side has also voted in favor of impeachment. Until this morning, five Republican congressmen had openly criticized their leader and confirmed that they would vote for him. impeachment. Throughout the session, five more have been added, something historic.

“There has never been a greater betrayal on the part of a president of the United States in his charge and his oath of the Constitution,” denounced on Tuesday Liz Cheney, the ‘number three’ of the Republican Party within the House. “Everything that happened was the work of Trump,” said the Republican, who has refused to resign because her vote is “of conscience,” she says.

The majority of Republicans who have voted against condemn the violence that occurred a week ago, and even some also condemn the president’s words, but consider that he does not deserve a impeachment express, or that this is not the appropriate way to calm the spirits of the country.

And the Senate, what?

Now the ball is in the court of the Senate, which will have to debate, and vote, whether or not to remove Donald Trump.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican, has proposed that the chamber not meet until next Tuesday, just one day before Biden takes office, according to a document he has had access to. The Washington Post.

Only a few months ago, the Upper House already reversed the first impeachment that he came forward against Trump for trying to bribe the President of Ukraine to find evidence of corruption against Biden.

This time, things are still difficult, because the support of 17 Republicans is needed, who control the chamber, but the current situation is very different from then.

So far, two Republican senators have been in favor of supporting the impeachmentSenator Mitt Romney, who already voted against Trump in 2020, is expected to do so too.