Trump Expected To Make A Statement On Impeachment Proceedings Official Says
From CNNs Kaitlan Collins and Jim Acosta
President Trump will make a statement reacting to todays impeachment proceedings soon, an official familiar with the matter tells CNN. It will likely be a video.
The House has just voted to impeach President Trump for the second time making him the only US president to ever be impeached twice. The resolution passed 232 to 197.
The impeachment resolution the House voted on charges Trump with;a single article, incitement of insurrection, for his role in last weeks deadly Capitol riot.
More on this: A White House official said aides to the President are concerned the video he is recording this evening will be removed by YouTube, as Trump has seen his presence on social media vanish in recent days as tech giants like Twitter and Facebook have cracked down on the Presidents often false and irresponsible content.;
The official said the plan is to post the video on whitehouse.gov. But YouTube is used by the White House to post videos on the official government site.;The official said news outlets would be wise to make a digital recording of the video as soon as possible, in the event it is pulled down by YouTube.
The Oval Office is under consideration as a location for recording the video. It could be posted sometime during the next couple of hours.
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Releasing Evidence To Public
On July 9, the Judiciary Committee released its own version of eight of the White House tapes of which Nixon had previously issued his own transcript. The committee transcripts benefited from superior playback equipment, which restored some of the potentially damaging statements that Nixon staffers had removed or heard differently. This was followed three days later by the committee’s release of its accumulated evidence, which ran to 4,133 pages in all3,891 pages assembled by the impeachment inquiry staff, as well as a 242-page rebuttal by James St. Clair, but contained neither commentary nor conclusions from the committee. Afterward St. Clair acknowledged for the first time publicly that a committee vote in favor of impeachment was likely, but White House Press Secretary Ron Ziegler said the president remained confident that the full House would not impeach.
A Harris Poll was released in mid-July which showed that 53 percent of Americans supported Nixon’s impeachment by the House. That same poll showed that 47 percent thought he should be convicted in a Senate trial and removed from office, and 34 percent thought he should be acquitted . A Gallup Poll, released July 25, revealed that Nixon’s overall job approval rating had slipped to a new low point of 24 percent, down considerably from its pre-Watergate hearings peak of 67 percent at the end of January 1973 .
Trump Calls For ‘no Violence’ As Congress Moves To Impeach Him For Role In Riot
This time, there will be more. Some Republican senators have called on Trump to resign, and even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he is undecided at this point.
Trump’s impeachment won’t lead to his removal even if he is convicted because of the timeline. The Senate is adjourned until Tuesday. The next day, Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president. But there’s another penalty the Constitution allows for as a result of a Senate conviction that could be appealing to some Republican senators banning Trump from holding “office” again.
While there is some debate as to the definition of “office” in the Constitution and whether that would apply to running for president or even Congress, that kind of public rebuke would send a strong message that Republicans are ready to move on from Trumpism.
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Rep Dan Newhouse Of Washington
Newhouse said on the House floor that the Democratic-led articles of impeachment were flawed, but he would not use process as an excuse to vote no.
There is no excuse for President Trumps actions, said Newhouse, in his fifth term representing central Washington.
Trump, like members of Congress, took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, Newhouse said. Last week, there was a domestic threat at the door of the Capitol and he did nothing to stop it, Newhouse said. That is why with a heavy heart and clear resolve, I will vote yes on these articles of impeachment.
Impeachment By House Of Representatives
On December 11, 1998, the House Judiciary Committee agreed to send three articles of impeachment to the full House for consideration. The vote on two articles, grand jury and obstruction of justice, was 2117, both along party lines. On the third, perjury in the Paula Jones case, the committee voted 2018, with Republican Lindsey Graham joining with Democrats, in order to give President Clinton the legal benefit of the doubt. The next day, December 12, the committee agreed to send a fourth and final article, for abuse of power, to the full House by a 2117 vote, again, along party lines.
Although proceedings were delayed due to the bombing of Iraq, on the passage of H. Res. 611, Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998, on grounds of perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice . The two other articles were rejected, the count of perjury in the Jones case and abuse of power . Clinton thus became the second U.S. president to be impeached; the first, Andrew Johnson, was impeached in 1868. The only other previous U.S. president to be the subject of formal House impeachment proceedings was Richard Nixon in 197374. The Judiciary Committee agreed to a resolution containing three articles of impeachment in July 1974, but resigned from office soon thereafter, before the House took up the resolution.
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The 7 Republican Senators Who Voted To Convict Former President Donald Trump Explain Their Rationale
Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial came to an end Saturday with 57 senators voting to convict, falling short of the two-thirds margin required to find him guilty of the charge of incitement of insurrection in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol that resulted in five deaths. Seven GOP senators broke with their party voting along with all 48 Democrats and both independents in the body.
After the 57-43 vote, the Republicans who defied Trump explained their decision.
Richard Burr, North Carolina
The facts are clear, Burr said in a statement after the vote. The President promoted unfounded conspiracy theories to cast doubt on the integrity of a free and fair election because he did not like the results. As Congress met to certify the election results, the President directed his supporters to go to the Capitol to disrupt the lawful proceedings required by the Constitution. When the crowd became violent, the President used his office to first inflame the situation instead of immediately calling for an end to the assault.
Burr originally voted that the trial was unconstitutional, but said in his statement that the Senate is an institution based on precedent, and given that the majority of the Senate voted to proceed with this trial, the question of constitutionality is now established precedent.”
He has already announced he will not be running for reelection in 2022.
Bill Cassidy, Louisiana
Susan Collins, Maine
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
Mitt Romney, Utah
Opinionmy Fellow Republicans Please Do The Right Thing And Back An Impeachment Inquiry
On Tuesday, Romney finally had some company. He was joined by the same four colleagues Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Susan Collins of Maine and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania who also joined him in November in acknowledging Joe Biden’s victory and standing steadfast in opposition to outlandish claims that the election was rigged or stolen.
Murkowski denounced Trump for having “perpetrated false rhetoric that the election was stolen and rigged, even after dozens of courts ruled against these claims.” Sasse said Trump didn’t have any evidence to back up his claims of election fraud, “and neither do the institutional arsonist members of Congress who will object to the Electoral College vote.”
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Here Are All Of The House Republicans Who Voted To Impeach Donald Trump
Ten members of the GOP joined with Democrats in the vote.
President Donald Trump impeached for incitement of insurrection
The House of Representatives has voted to impeach President Donald Trump making him the only president in American history to be impeached twice.
Unlike his first impeachment in 2019, 10 Republicans joined Democrats to charge Trump for the incitement of insurrection for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol with a final vote of 232-197.
Some Republicans may have feared for their own safety if they voted for impeachment, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of those who voted against Trump, said. Kinzinger told ABCs Powerhouse Politics podcast that some members of his party are likely holding back from voting for impeachment due to fear of highlighting their own participation in supporting the presidents false claims of election fraud.
Democrat Jason Crow, of Colorado, relayed similar thoughts in an interview with MSNBC on Wednesday morning.
I had a lot of conversations with my Republican colleagues last night, and a couple of them broke down in tears talking to me and saying that they are afraid for their lives if they vote for this impeachment, he said.
Here is a list of the 10 Republicans who took a stance against Trump:
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill.Its not going to be some Kumbaya moment on the floor its going to be an awakening by the American people to hold their leaders accountable to their rhetoric,
Rep Dan Newhouse Washington
Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washingtons 4th Congressional District on Wednesday voted to impeach Trump shortly after announcing his decision to do so on the House floor.
These articles of impeachment are flawed, but I will not use process as an excuse for President Trumps actions, Newhouse said.
The president took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Last week there was a domestic threat at the door of the Capitol and he did nothing to stop it.
In a separate statement released the same day, Newhouse said Trump did not strongly condemn the attack nor did he call in reinforcements when our officers were overwhelmed. Our country needed a leader, and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office.
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Raskin Compares Trumps Actions On January 6 To Lighting A Fire In Closing Argument
Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen, meanwhile, insisted his client did nothing wrong and maintained he was the victim of vengeful Democrats and a biased news media. He called the impeachment proceedings a charade from beginning to end.
While he often seemed angry during his presentation, van der Veen was delighted by the acquittal. Reporters saw him fist bump a fellow member of Trumps legal team afterward and exclaim, Were going to Disney World!
McConnell, whod rebuffed Democratic efforts to start the trial while Trump was still in office, had condemned Trumps conduct after the riot and said hed keep an open mind about voting to convict something hed ruled out entirely during Trumps first impeachment trial last year.
After voting to acquit, McConnell blasted Trump for his disgraceful dereliction of duty and squarely laid the blame for the riot at Trumps door in what amounted to an endorsement of many of the arguments laid out by House impeachment managers.
Theres no question none that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day, McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor.
The Constitution makes perfectly clear that Presidential criminal misconduct while in office can be prosecuted after the President has left office, which in my view alleviates the otherwise troubling January exception argument raised by the House, he wrote.
Impeachment Process Against Richard Nixon
| Impeachment process against Richard Nixon | |
|---|---|
| First day of the House Judiciary Committee’s formal impeachment hearings against President Nixon, May 9, 1974 | |
| Accused | Richard Nixon, President of the United States |
| Proponents | |
| Outcome | Resolution containing three articles of impeachment adopted July 30, 1974; the impeachment proceedings ended in August 20, 1974 without an impeachment vote, after President Nixon resigned from office. |
| Charges |
| This article is part of a series about |
The impeachment process against Richard Nixon began in the United States House of Representatives on October 30, 1973, following the series of high-level resignations and firings widely called the “Saturday Night Massacre” during the course of the Watergate scandal.
Following an April 1974 subpoena from the Judiciary Committee, edited transcripts of 42 taped White House conversations relevant to the Watergate cover-up were finally made public by Nixon. However, the committee pressed for the audio tapes themselves, and subsequently issued subpoenas for additional tapes, all of which Nixon had refused. That same month, Nixon also refused to comply with a subpoena from special prosecutorLeon Jaworski for 64 Watergate-related tapes. Ultimately, on July 24, 1974, the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision against Nixon, which ordered him to comply.
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Opinionwe Want To Hear What You Think Please Submit A Letter To The Editor
Boebert live-tweeted about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s location during the Capitol insurrection Jan. 6 as Pelosi, second in line to the presidency, was being rushed to a secure location. Greene, among other offenses, made in 2018 and 2019 suggesting that she supported executing prominent Democrats.
Some of the senators who endorsed Paul’s motion Tuesday might be tempted to think they can simply move on from Trump and therefore want to avoid an impeachment trial so his entire shameful presidency can be forgotten as quickly as possible.
But they’ve helped to create a disaster much bigger than Trump. By giving in to him at every turn, Republicans helped create the epidemic of conspiracy theories and alternative facts rampant in the Republican Party.
Perhaps most consequentially, they endorsed his Big Lie about the election. It wasn’t just Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri who propagated fantasies about widespread voter fraud, irregularities and a “steal.” Fourteen Senate Republicans announced before the attack on the Capitol that they planned to object to counting at least one state’s electoral votes, even though Trump had won none of his more than 60 lawsuits trying to overturn the results and even though no evidence of widespread voter fraud was found by election officials in any state regardless of party.
Articles Referred To Senate
Article I, charging Clinton with perjury, alleged in part that:
On August 17, 1998, William Jefferson Clinton swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth before a federal grand jury of the United States. Contrary to that oath, William Jefferson Clinton willfully provided perjurious, false and misleading testimony to the grand jury concerning one or more of the following:
the nature and details of his relationship with a subordinate government employee; prior perjurious, false and misleading testimony he gave in a federal civil rights action brought against him; prior false and misleading statements he allowed his attorney to make to a federal judge in that civil rights action; and his corrupt efforts to influence the testimony of witnesses and to impede the discovery of evidence in that civil rights action.
Article II, charging Clinton with obstruction of justice alleged in part that:
Clinton was defended by Cheryl Mills. Clintons counsel staff included Charles Ruff, David E. Kendall, Dale Bumpers, Bruce Lindsey, Nicole Seligman, Lanny A. Breuer and Gregory B. Craig.
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Republican Groups Censure Party Lawmakers Who Voted To Impeach Convict Trump
Kinzinger said 11 family members sent him a handwritten two-page note that started, Oh my, what a disappointment you are to us and to God!;The letter accused him of working with the devils army, which it said included Democrats and the fake news media.;We thought you were smart enough to see how the left is brainwashing many so called good people including yourself and other Republicans. You have even fallen for their socialism ideals! So, so sad!;It is now most embarrassing to us that we are related to you, the family members wrote. You have embarrassed the Kinzinger family name.;Kinzinger said the family members suffered from brainwashing at conservative churches.;I hold nothing against them, he said, but I have zero desire or feel the need to reach out and repair that. That is 100% on them to reach out and repair, and quite honestly, I dont care if they do or not.;Kinzinger said he knows his vote against Trump could imperil his political career but that he couldnt live with myself if the one time I was called to do a really tough duty, I didnt do it.;
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7. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, Washington’s 3rd: Herrera Beutler was swept in with the Tea Party wave in 2010, but her district is a moderate one. Trump won it 51% to 47%. Herrera Beutler gained prominence several years ago for giving birth to a child three months early, born without kidneys and a rare syndrome. Her daughter, Abigail, became the first to survive the often-fatal condition. The now-mother of three and congresswoman from southwest Washington state declared on the House floor her vote in favor of impeachment: “I’m not choosing sides, I’m choosing truth.”
8. Rep. Peter Meijer, Michigan’s 3rd: Meijer is a freshman, who won his seat with 53% of the vote. He represents a district that was previously held by Justin Amash, the former Republican-turned-independent who voted in favor of Trump’s impeachment in 2019. Meijer, a Columbia University grad who served in Afghanistan, is a social conservative in favor of restrictions on abortion rights and against restrictions on gun rights and religious freedoms. But he said Trump showed no “courage” and “betrayed millions with claims of a ‘stolen election.’ ” He added, “The one man who could have restored order, prevented the deaths of five Americans including a Capitol police officer, and avoided the desecration of our Capitol, shrank from leadership when our country needed it most.”
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