House votes to impeach Trump over Capitol attack
10 Republicans support most bipartisan impeachment in U.S. history
One week after a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, the House approved a single impeachment charge against President Trump. Meanwhile, thousands of soldiers moved to defend the city from further violence. This is a special “Regular Order.”
BIPARTISAN IMPEACHMENT. In a vote of 232 to 197, ten Republicans broke ranks and joined with all House Democrats, voting to charge President Trump with “Incitement to Insurrection.” The ten GOP votes for impeachment: Cheney WY, Katko NY, Kinzinger IL, Herrera Beutler WA, Upton MI, Valadao CA, Gonzalez OH, Meijer MI, Rice SC and Newhouse WA.
HISTORIC BIPARTISANSHIP. This was the most bipartisan impeachment in U.S. history. Back in the 1998 impeachment votes against President Bill Clinton, five Democrats broke ranks to support the GOP impeachment effort. That was doubled today against President Trump.
MOST REPUBLICANS BACK TRUMP. The vast majority of Republicans refused to abandon the President, and denounced a second impeachment. “This is a reckless impeachment. This will only bring up the hate and fire more than ever before,” said Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO). “This is a time for healing, not division,” said Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS). But House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy acknowledged President Trump “bears responsibility” for the attack that resulted in six deaths.
DEMOCRATS IMPEACH. Democrats said the attack on the Capitol was caused by the President’s repeated lies about election fraud. “Every second that this President remains in office is a danger to this country and the world,” said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA). “The President of the United States is an insurrectionist,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX). "Where he goes in history, you go in history," Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) said to GOP lawmakers not voting for impeachment.
TRUMP: NO MORE VIOLENCE. In a statement issued during debate, President Trump said there should be no more violence associated with the 2020 election. Many GOP lawmakers quickly endorsed the President’s statement as a reason to vote against the impeachment resolution. But it could not stop him from being the first President to be impeached twice.
SENATE TRIAL. There will be no quick start to a Senate impeachment trial. But Majority Leader Mitch McConnell isn’t ruling out voting for the insurrection charge against the President. In a letter to GOP Senators, McConnell said, "I have not made a final decision on how I will vote." What McConnell decides to do will determine if this is just another partisan fight, or something much, much different. Stay tuned.
SECURITY TIGHTENS FOR BIDEN INAUGURAL. A week before the Inauguration, the security perimeter around the Capitol and the White House expanded dramatically. "Clearly we are in uncharted waters," said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser today, who has asked Americans not to come here next week. There are more U.S. soldiers deployed right now in Washington, D.C. than in Iraq and Afghanistan.
TROOPS FILL THE U.S. CAPITOL. As the Congress debated impeachment, the halls of the Capitol filled with soldiers, making the Capitol look more like an armed military camp. "There are more troops right now in Washington, D.C. than in Afghanistan," said Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), a former Marine Corps officer. "They are here to defend us against the Commander-in-Chief - the President of the United States - and his mob."
The plaque in the final picture - to the right of the giant bust of President Lincoln - talks about how soldiers were quartered in the Capitol during the Civil War. The Capitol was also used as a hospital for Union soldiers during 1862.
THE MUSE OF HISTORY. Not since the 1968 riots has the U.S. Capitol played host to so many soldiers of the United States military. After the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., large sections of the city were set ablaze, as Army units and Marines defended the Capitol and the White House from further violence. My father tells of standing on the steps of the Capitol and watching the smoke billow over the city. Some of those areas (H Street NE, 14th Street NW) took 30-40 years to finally rebuild.
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I thought Nancy Mace would vote to impeach. She did not sound too happy about the riot and some of her fellow freshmen.