Washington The House of Representatives has voted to accuse President Trump of inciting an uprising in the Capitol that left five people dead, confirming his place in history as the only president to be twice accused in a dual reprimand approved at unprecedented speed.
The final vote was 232 to 197, with 10 Republicans joining all 222 Democrats in support of a single article of accusation accusing the president of ‘inciting rebellion’.
“We know that the President of the United States has incited this uprising, this armed rebellion, against our common country,” House President Nancy Pelosi said before the vote. “He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation we all love.”
Mr. Trump was first charged in December 2019 for his efforts to put Ukraine under pressure to investigate the Biden family. His second indictment comes just one week before Joe Biden, the president-elect, will be sworn in as his successor. Only two other presidents have been charged since the founding of the republic.
On January 6, the president addressed supporters near the White House, urging them to “fight like hell” while members of Congress were prepared to accept the victory of Mr. Biden to formalize. Thereafter, a furious crowd marched on the Capitol, storming the complex, smashing windows and breaking down doors to gain access to the Congress Hall. The mob managed to stop the counting of the election votes for a few hours.
House Democrats voted the indictment with unprecedented speed, reflecting the seriousness of the assault on the Capitol and the limited time in Mr. Trump’s term remains. The resolution was first introduced Monday, with Democrats holding the typical trial process and investigating.
The indictment will soon go to the Senate, where lawmakers will have to hold a hearing on whether they Trump convicted and will remove him from office. Senate leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday he has not made a decision on whether to vote for the president during the trial.
With only seven days left in the term of Mr. Trump, the trial of the Senate could possibly extend into the term of his successor. If that happens, the Senate could still decide to oust Mr. Condemning Trump and banning him from holding a federal office in the future. A vote to convict requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate.
The president refused to take responsibility for his role in inciting the mob that stormed the Capitol, and on Tuesday insisted his speech before the riot was “completely appropriate”.