House drafts new articles of impeachment against Trump following attack on US Capitol Building
Following the storming of the U.S. Capitol Building by a violent mob of Trump supporters on January 6, articles of impeachment have been drawn against President Donald Trump by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives — and if the articles are officially passed by the House, it will mark the first time in U.S. history that a president has been impeached twice.
House Democrats, in a "Dear Colleague" letter, wrote, "I invite you to join me in introducing a resolution to impeach Donald John Trump, president of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. Once again, Trump has violated his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of the president of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
The letter continued, "Every single hour that Donald Trump remains in office, our country, our democracy, and our national security remain in danger. Congress must take immediate action to keep the people of this country safe and set a precedent that such behavior cannot be tolerated."
Many Trump critics have been arguing that he incited violence on January 6, when both branches of Congress met to certify President-elect Joe Biden's electoral college victory. The session was delayed when extremists stored the Capitol Building, but after the session resumed hours later, the House and the U.S. Senate ratified the electoral college results.
Meanwhile, Rep. Adam Kinzinger — a conservative Republican from Illinois who vehemently opposed Trump's efforts to overturn the election results — and Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are calling for Trump to be removed from office via the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Previously, Trump was indicted on two articles of impeachment in connection with the Ukraine scandal. But Trump, in February 2020, was acquitted during a Senate trial.
Although Trump has less than two weeks left in office — Biden's inauguration is set for January 20 — his critics believe that he poses a national security threat and must be removed from office sooner rather than later.
