House reportedly planning to introduce article of impeachment Monday
House Democrats plan to introduce an article of impeachment against President Trump on Monday, following his role in Wednesday's deadly Capitol riot, two Democratic aides told The Wall Street Journal. Per the Journal, more than 150 House Democrats have already signed on to the article, which was written by Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), and accuses Trump of "willfully inciting violence against the government of the United States."
The process would need to be swift, considering Trump's term ends in less than two weeks, either way. Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) told CNN the House may initiate an impeachment vote "as early as mid-next week," though that would require Congress to end its recess early and reconvene. If there is a vote and the article passes, Trump would be the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hasn't specifically backed the article drafted by the congressmen, but she said Friday that the lower chamber would move toward impeachment if Trump doesn't leave office immediately, and her calls for Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment appear to have gone unanswered, likely sealing that route, as well.
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Republican Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said he would consider articles of impeachment if the House moved forward, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she wants Trump "out." The New York Times' Maggie Haberman reports more Senate Republicans "favor impeachment than people would expect," though others are seemingly wary. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.