The Democrats moved forward on Monday, January 11, towards the opening this week of a second impeachment procedure against Donald Trump, accused of having “Incited to violence” during the invasion of the Capitol, on January 6, by pro-Trump rioters, killing 5 people.
Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi announced a series of actions to remove the Republican president, described as “Imminent threat” against democracy and the Constitution of the United States.
The Republican billionaire is thus threatened, at 74, with a sanction that would remain in the history of the United States and could mortgage his political future: to become the first president to be twice indicted in Congress (“Impeached”) in an impeachment proceeding. What are the stages of such a procedure?
Page Contents
Filing Monday of the impeachment motion for “incitement to insurrection”
In the majority in the lower house of Congress, Democrats on Monday filed an article impeaching the president for “Incitement to insurgency” in the context of impeachment proceedings.
Democrats also called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25e amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which allows the executive to remove a president deemed unfit for office, but Republican elected officials have temporarily blocked his consideration by an oral vote.
Faithful to Donald Trump, but having no further contact with him since the events of Wednesday, Mike Pence has so far shown no willingness to trigger this device. Nancy Pelosi specifies that the vice-president will have twenty-four hours to respond to the House’s injunction, which would amount to making him endorse executive powers for the last ten days of Trump’s mandate.
If their request is rejected by Mike Pence, warned Nancy Pelosi, Democrats will initiate the impeachment process immediately. The indictment article has already been drafted. Consideration and vote on the resolution on the 25e amendment are expected Tuesday.
Wednesday vote on impeachment motion
The leader of the Democratic group in the House of Representatives, Steny Hoyer, said the vote on the impeachment procedure could take place as early as Wednesday. The impeachment motion will then be adopted or rejected. If a simple majority believes that the evidence is sufficient to initiate proceedings and votes for adoption, then a trial will be opened in the Senate.
According to the site Politico, at least 218 Democrats support the impeachment resolution, which would be enough to pass.
If adopted, the accused – here Donald Trump – would be suspended from his duties upon his appearance in the Senate. To judge the president, the Senate is no longer chaired by the vice-president, as is usually the case, but by the president of the Supreme Court. The trial resembles a normal criminal procedure, the accused is represented by one or more lawyers. If the two-thirds majority of senators find the president of the United States guilty, he is removed, and his vice-president immediately replaces him.
Calls for the resignation of Donald Trump
Some Republican elected officials, however, on Sunday called on Donald Trump to resign to spare the country the complexities of the impeachment procedure, such as the 25e amendment.
This “Would be the best option”, Senator Pat Toomey told CNN. Since the presidential election of November 3, which he lost, Donald Trump “Has sunk into a level of madness and has committed absolutely unthinkable and unforgivable acts”, he added. “The best thing for the unity of the country would be for him to resign”, added on ABC Adam Kinzinger, elected Republican of the House of Representatives.
On Friday, Senator Lisa Murkowski was the first Republican to publicly declare that Donald Trump must immediately step down.
Donald Trump already targeted by impeachment proceedings in 2019
Donald Trump has already been the target of impeachment proceedings, launched by Democrats in December 2019, in connection with the pressure exerted on Ukraine to open an investigation into Hunter Biden, the son of Joe Biden, and that who was then considered his likely great rival for the presidential election. Donald Trump was acquitted in February by the Senate, where his Republican supporters were in the majority at the time.
Three other presidents threatened with impeachment
Apart from those against Donald Trump, only three impeachment proceedings have concerned Presidents of the United States since the entry into force of the American Constitution in 1789.
The House of Representatives voted an indictment in 1868 against Andrew Johnson for overriding a procedure for appointing top executive positions that had just been passed, and in 1998 against Bill Clinton, for “Perjury” and “Obstruction of justice” in the Monica Lewinsky case. The Senate then acquitted the two presidents. In the midst of the Watergate scandal, the preparation of an impeachment procedure was initiated against Richard Nixon in 1974. But it did not succeed, the president having chosen to resign.
