Impeachment Proceedings Against Donald Trump on Monday: What You Need to Know

Impeachment Proceedings Against Donald Trump on Monday: What You Need to Know

In the aftermath of Donald Trump supporters storming the US Capitol, Democrats in the US House of Representatives want Vice President Mike Pence to use the 25th Amendment to remove the outgoing president from office.

Reports say that speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will introduce a resolution asking Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment.

Pelosi was quoted by Huffpost as saying on Sunday, “In protecting our Constitution and our Democracy, we will act with urgency, because this President represents an imminent threat to both. As the days go by, the horror of the ongoing assault on our democracy perpetrated by this President is intensified and so is the immediate need for action.”

While Joe Biden will be sworn in January 20, Trump has little less than two weeks in office.

Also read: Donald Trump May Turn To Giuliani Again To Defend Against Impeachment

 

HERE’S WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW:

 

— Pelosi in her letter asked Pence to respond to a resolution that she introduced, asking him to respond within 24 hours.

— In her resolution, Peloso said that Trump advertised and broadly encouraged the mob through his Twitter account.

— Pelosi’s letter has come at a time when Washington has not made clear if Trump plans to leave office soon.

— While Trump was impeached in 2019, he will probably be the first president to be impeached twice if these proceedings are taken further.

— Democratic representative, Ted Lieu, who had earlier called for Trump to step down, said that if Pence doesn’t invoke the 25th Amendment, “then we will Impeach. Tomorrow we introduce the Article of Impeachment.”

— An adviser told Reuters that Pence opposed using the 25th Amendment to remove Trump.

— Republicans too are speaking out against Trump. Reuters reported Republican Senator Pat Toomey, a conservative backer of Trump until recently, telling NBC that Trump's resignation "as soon as possible" would be best for the country. Lisa Murkowski on Friday became the first Republican U.S. senator to say Trump should resign immediately. Republican Senator Ben Sasse said he would "definitely consider" impeachment.

— The New York Times called the impeachment process “deliberately difficult” where the House first votes on impeachment and if there is a simple majority, the Senate will have to “consider them at a trial.

— The NYT article said that while the charges are detailed in the articles of impeachment, impeachment managers are appointed to argue before senators who act as a jury.