MAKING HISTORY
FOR THE WRONG REASONS
HE has been making history for more than four years and on Thursday Donald Trump added his most humiliating entry into the record books, becoming the only president to be impeached twice.
As 10 House Republicans crossed the floor to support his impeachment for “incitement of insurrection” up to 20,000 National Guard troops swarmed Washington DC.
Booted off social media for continuing to claim Joe Biden cheated to win the presidency, Mr Trump issued a late-in-theday plea to his supporters, calling on them to stand down and stop protesting his election loss.
“I want to be very clear: I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week,” he said in the video.
“Like all of you I was shocked and deeply saddened by the calamity that unfolded at the Capitol.
“No true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. We cannot tolerate it.”
He also slammed the social media companies who have silenced him, saying: “What is needed now is to listen to one another, not to silence one another.”
But as senior Republicans and even some of his most loyal allies continued to slam him over last week’s deadly siege at the US Capitol, it was too little too late to save Mr Trump from the ignominy of a second impeachment.
“The president bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters,” said House Minority Leader and frequent Trump booster Kevin McCarthy.
The hopes of his critics that impeachment would bring an early end to Mr Trump’s term were dashed by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who said his trial would not take place until after Mr Biden’s inauguration next week.
“There is simply no chance that a fair or serious trial could conclude before Presidentelect Biden is sworn in next week,” he said.
Mr McConnell also stopped short of stating his position on Mr Trump’s impeachment, a day after the powerful Republican was reported to be considering a guilty verdict.
Just when Mr Trump will face his accusers is not yet clear. With less than a week until Mr Trump’s term ends, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not stated when she will hand the article of impeachment to the Senate.
Mr McConnell refused to recall Congress, instead saying the impeachment would be considered on January 19 at the earliest.
Leading Republican Senator Lindsay Graham called on the incoming administration to avoid a “post presidential impeachment”, saying it would further divide the country.
Mr Biden indicted in a statement that he would leave the process to the Senate.
“This criminal attack was planned and co-ordinated. It was carried out by political extremists and domestic terrorists, who were incited to this violence by President Trump,” he said. “It was an armed insurrection against the United States of America. And those responsible must be held accountable.”
Congressman Dan Newhouse, the final of 10 Republicans to vote for impeachment, said: “Our country needed a leader and President Trump failed to fulfil his oath of office. A vote against impeachment is a vote to validate this unacceptable violence.