Trump's impeachment process to start Monday? Here's where the situation stands | 2021-01-08 23:15:15 (Visits: 318 Times) |  | | Image:Corinne Reichert Jan. 8, 2021 12:41 p.m. PT
More than 200 members of Congress are calling to remove Donald Trump from office in the final days of his presidency. We look at what the process is, how it would take place, and what would result.More than 200 members of Congress are calling to remove President Donald Trump from office, either through impeachment or the 25th Amendment, with House Democrats planning to introduce the articles of impeachment Monday according to multiple reports. The condemnation follows a violent insurrection of the US Capitol, when a mob breached the building while seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Trump is widely accused of inciting the crowd to riot for the purpose of interfering with a democratic proceeding. The DOJ does not plan to level incitement charges against Trump or any other speakers at the rally.The action would remove Trump from power in his final days as president before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Jan 20 If the articles of impeachment are initiated, it would mark the second time in his presidency that Trump would face the process -- and would make him the first president in history to be impeached twice.By Friday morning, some forecast that a vote in the House of Representatives could come by the middle of next week. As the situation in Washington develops, we'll explain the limitations of impeachment, what the timeline would be before Biden is sworn in as president, and where the situation stands now.Is it too late to impeach Trump before Biden takes office? Impeachment can be a long process, but if passed by both chambers in Congress, the effects could be long-lasting. Not only would Trump be removed from the presidency, he would also be disqualified from running for a second presidential term, or "any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States," according to the Constitution (Article 1, Section 3).When Trump was impeached in December 2019, the entire process took months -- from inquiries and investigations beginning in September 2019 to the Senate acquitting him on Feb. 6, 2020. Given the traditionally slow process, it could take too long to impeach Trump and remove him from office prior to the inauguration of Biden on Jan 20 It isn't clear if impeachment proceedings would continue after Biden's inauguration, or if Washington, DC or other states would take their own legal action.Rep. Jerry Nadler a Democrat from New York and chair of the House Committee on the Judiciary, said he supports "bringing articles of impeachment directly to the House floor.""I am once again urging that the President be impeached and removed from office," Nadler tweeted Thursday evening. "We have a limited period of time in which to act. The nation cannot afford a lengthy, drawn out process."Read more: Facebook blocks Trump indefinitely following Capitol Hill violence.What does it take to impeach a sitting president?A president, along with other officers,can be impeached for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors," according to Section 4 of Article 2 of the US Constitution.To impeach, a total of 216 votes are required from the House of Representatives -- a simple majority plus one. A trial is then heard in the Senate, where the US Chief Justice presides. A full two-thirds of the 100 senators must vote to impeach.If the Senate were to convict Trump, it would not only remove him from the White House as soon as the vote occurred -- it would also prevent him from ever being able to run for a second presidential term.What's the difference between impeachment and the 25th Amendment? Congress including Republican representatives -- have also been pushing Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution to remove Trump from office. Unlike impeachment, which is voted by Congress, the 25th Amendment would require Pence and a majority of the sitting Cabinet secretaries to invoke the power. Alternatively, it could also be invoked by the Vice President and another body that's designated by Congress.In order to do so, Pence and a majority of sitting Cabinet secretaries must decide a sitting president is unfit for office. Several cabinet members have now resigned.Pence has reportedly said he will not invoke the 25th Amendment."the presidnt of the United States incited an insurrection against America," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a press conference Thursday. "In calling for this seditious act, the president has committed an unspeakable assault on our nation and our people. I join the Senate Democratic leader in calling on the Vice President to remove this president by immediately invoking the 25th Amendment."Read more: 25th Amendment: What it is, how it would remove Trump from power if invoked Congress certified Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' victory in the 2020 election in the early hours of Thursday after reconvening Wednesday night following their evacuation from the Capitol. Trump later appeared to grudgingly agree to an "orderly transition" of power.In a video released Thursday evening, Trump reiterated that he's now working on the transition. "A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20th," Trump said. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly, and seamless transition of power."why Democrats are pushing impeachment Pelosi summed up her party's position: "The President's dangerous and seditious acts necessitate his immediate removal from office," she said Thursday.Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted Wednesday afternoon that she was drawing up articles of impeachment, while under evacuation of Congress during the insurrection. "Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate," Omar tweeted at the time. "We can't allow him to remain in office, it's a matter of preserving our Republic."By 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, more than 20 Democratic members of Congress had joined calls for Trump's impeachment.
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