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Sunday, January 10, 2021
Impeachment and Law Enforcement
Democrats agree, Republicans doubt
The presidency of Donald Trump is history in a week and a half. The prosecution procedures would take much longer. Democrats still want impeachment to take off. Also because they absolutely want to prevent Trump from coming back.
After the assault on the Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump, the Democrats want to start a new impeachment process against the president-elect of the United States on Monday. Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu announced on CNN that Democrats would bring a resolution impeaching Trump in the House of Representatives on Monday. “We expect a vote in plenary next week.” However, he and his colleagues would prefer that the Republican resign first or that Vice President Mike Pence take steps to initiate his impeachment.
Lieu is a co-author of the draft resolution, which lists a single charge against Trump: “incitement to unrest.” Trump is accused of inciting his supporters at a pre-storm rally on Capitol Hill. Five people were killed in the riot on Capitol Hill, including a police officer. The draft resolution describes Trump as “a threat to national security, democracy and the constitution.” Trump would be the first US president in history to have two open impeachment proceedings.
With the swearing in of his Democratic successor Joe Biden on January 20, Trump will leave office anyway. Before that, a trial in the Senate in an impeachment process is virtually impossible, even if the House of Representatives decides to open it next week. In addition to Trump’s indictment, the draft resolution also provides that he will be barred from future government offices. This would deny him a possible candidacy in 2024. According to Democrats, the procedure is also to set an example after the attack on parliament.
Several Republicans Support Impeachment
Support for the project is enormous on the democratic side. According to Lieu, at least 180 of the 222 MPs want to vote in favor of the impeachment process. Several Republican congressmen also want to support the resolution. The House of Representatives, which is controlled by Democrats, can decide to initiate an impeachment process by simple majority. The procedure, which is similar to a judicial process, but in the Senate would be conducted and decided. The two-thirds majority required there for Trump’s impeachment is currently unpredictable. But the future 50 Democrats lack the votes of 17 Republicans.
However, Trump also faces increasing headwinds from Republicans in the Senate. Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey told Fox News that Trump’s offense would qualify for impeachment. His Nebraska colleague, Ben Sasse, told CBS that he was “definitely considering” an indictment from the House of Representatives. Jeff Flake, a senator from Arizona, told CNN that Trump “just disappeared.” Lisa Murkowski, a senator from Alaska, had already called for Trump’s resignation on Friday. All four are internal critics of the president’s party.
The Senate will not meet for its next regular session until January 19. A memorandum from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, distributed by the Washington Post, states that, under current rules, proceedings could begin at 1 p.m. on Jan. 20 at least one hour after being sworn in. of Biden and the departure of Trump. Office. Biden had announced that he would not intervene in a decision on the opening of an impeachment process by the House of Representatives.
The man with the horns is arrested
Meanwhile, three other suspects have been arrested due to the riots. Prosecutors in Washington said they included Jacob Chansley, who entered the Capitol with a headdress made of fur and horns, a painted face, a shirtless torso, and a spear bearing an American flag – images of QAnon supporters in costume made all over the world. round.
A suspect named Adam Johnson was also caught by police for allegedly stealing the lectern of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, on Capitol Hill. A member of the West Virginia House of Representatives, Derrick Evans, was also reportedly arrested. It is said that he showed a video of his intrusion into the Capitol live on his Facebook page. Evans announced his resignation Saturday. The prosecution accuses the three men, among other things, of illegally entering a specially protected building. A total of 18 suspected rioters are pending in federal court.
The arrests increase the pressure on Trump. Documents released by the prosecutor show that Chansley himself called the FBI on Thursday and identified himself as a man with the horned headdress. He also claimed that he had traveled from Arizona to Washington because the president had called all “patriots” to the capital by Wednesday. Trump condemned the attack on parliament just a day late and after massive criticism.
Accusation not in Biden’s sense
A trial in the Senate could make Biden’s new administration much more difficult. The chamber would largely block the proceedings for weeks pending a sentence. But Biden relies on senators to confirm his nominated cabinet members and numerous high-ranking government officials in office. It also relies on the powerful chamber for important legislative projects, for example in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump did not speak publicly on Saturday. The night before, Twitter had permanently blocked his @realDonaldTrump account, depriving him of his most important communication platform. As a motive, Twitter cited the “risk of further incitement to violence.” Trump accused Twitter late Friday in a message distributed through reporters at the White House of conspiring with Democrats to silence him and his supporters.
Nancy Pelosi also called for criminal consequences for Trump due to the Capitol riots. “Unfortunately, the executive is a worried, confused and dangerous president of the United States,” the speaker of the House of Representatives told CBS. “And there are only a few days left before we can protect ourselves from him. But he did something so serious that he should be prosecuted.”
As president, Trump enjoys immunity from prosecution. This immunity ends with his term on January 20. The US media has reported that after the November 3 elections, Trump had several discussions with his advisers about the possibility of forgiving himself. A president’s self-pardon would be a first. It is controversial whether such a step would be legally permissible. The constitution does not expressly exclude self-forgiveness.
