Trump becomes 1st president in American history to be impeached twice
President Trump has officially become the first president in American history to be impeached two times.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed an article of impeachment charging Trump with "incitement of insurrection," one week after a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol building in a deadly riot. The resolution was passed with ten Republicans voting in favor, including Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the third highest-ranking member of the party in the House.
The vote came following several hours of debate, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) opened by arguing Trump is a "clear and present danger" to the United States after he "incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion, against our common country." House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) argued impeaching Trump "in such a short time frame would be a mistake," but he agreed that the president "bears responsibility" for the attack on the Capitol.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump spoke to his supporters prior to the riot last week and urged them to "walk down to the Capitol" where Congress was meeting to certify President-elect Joe Biden's election win, telling the crowd, "you will never take back our country with weakness." The subsequent riot at the Capitol left five people dead, but Trump has denied responsibility and claimed his remarks were "totally appropriate" despite facing a bipartisan rebuke.
Trump was previously impeached in 2019 for pressuring the president of Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. That time, no Republicans voted in favor of impeaching him. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) doesn't plan to use his emergency powers to bring the Senate back for an immediate impeachment trial before Jan. 19, however. McConnell has said he has "not made a final decision" on whether he'll vote to convict Trump.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
5 timely cartoons about climate change denial
Cartoons Artists take on textbook trouble, bizarre beliefs, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Kris Kristofferson: the free-spirited country music star who studied at Oxford
In the Spotlight The songwriter, singer and film-star has died aged 88
By The Week UK Published
-
The Chagos agreement explained
In Depth Ceding the islands to Mauritius could allow China to gain foothold in the Indo-Pacific, experts have warned
By The Week UK Published
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'
Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidence
Speed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulations
Speed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
Speed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation court
Speed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Anders Breivik to testify in prison isolation lawsuit against Norway
Speed Read Far-right fanatic who killed 77 people in 2011 claims he has received 'inhuman treatment' in custody
By The Week UK Published