Pelosi calls Trump ‘a clear and present danger’ as impeachment vote nears – live

Jim Jordan, one of the president’s congressional attack dogs, argued against the impeachment of Donald Trump for inciting a violent mob to attack the Capitol by condemning “cancel culture”.

"They want to cancel the president" -- Jim Jordan pic.twitter.com/ttM0wzF8Bi

“We should be focused on bringing the nation together. Instead, Democrats are going to impeach the president for a second time one week, one week before he leaves office. Why?” Jordan said. “They want to cancel the president.”

Jordan added, “It won’t just be the president of the United States. The cancel culture will come for us all.”

In reality, Democrats have said they want to impeach the president for a second time because Trump incited a violent mob to attack the Capitol, resulting in five deaths.

Moments ago, Pelosi argued Trump “must go” because he represents “a clear and present danger to the nation we all love”.

Nancy Pelosi described January 6, when a violent mob stormed the Capitol, as a “day of fire.” George W Bush used the same phrase to describe the September 11 attacks.

“We know that the president of the United States incited this insurrection, armed rebellion, against our common country,” the Democratic speaker said.

Pelosi argued it was a vital necessity to impeach the president, but she said of the need to impeach, “It breaks my heart. It should break your heart. It should break all of our hearts.”

The speaker said she stood before the chamber today as “an officer of the constitution.” “Search your souls,” Pelosi said, “is the president’s war on democracy in keeping with the constitution?”

House speaker Nancy Pelosi kicked off the two hours of debate on the article of impeachment against Donald Trump.

The Democratic speaker began her remarks by quoting Abraham Lincoln, saying, “We cannot escape history. We... will be remembered in spite of ourselves.”

Pelosi argued Trump must be removed from office because he represents a clear threat to national security.

“He must go,” Pelosi said. “He is a clear and present danger to the nation we all love.”

The article of impeachment, incitement of insurrection, is now being read on the House floor before the debate begins.

The article reads, in part, “In his conduct while President of the United States — and in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, provide, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed — Donald John Trump engaged in high Crimes and Misdemeanors by inciting violence against the Government of the United States ...

“Donald John Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law. Donald John Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.”

The House has voted 221-203 to begin debate on the article of impeachment, incitement of insurrection, against Donald Trump.

The House voted 221-203 to adopt H.Res. 41. https://t.co/KQHegRyHhp

The House will now debate the article for two hours, with a final vote on impeachment expected later this afternoon.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi went outside to thank the National Guard troops who are protecting the Capitol today, as members vote on the article of impeachment against Donald Trump.

The Democratic speaker also presented the troops with her challenge coin as a token of appreciation, per NBC News.

Pelosi just went outside and thanked the troops protecting the Capitol, and game them all her challenge coin: pic.twitter.com/VbOhyFxcVj

Lindsey Graham has released a statement expressing opposition to the second impeachment of Donald Trump, claiming the resolution “will do great damage to the institutions of government and could invite further violence.”

Supporting the impeachment of President Trump under these circumstances will do great damage to the institutions of government and could invite further violence at a time the President is calling for calm.

“If there was a time for America’s political leaders to bend a knee and ask for God’s counsel and guidance, it is now,” the Republican senator said in the statement. “The most important thing for leaders to do in times of crisis is to make things better, not worse.”

Graham interestingly leveled criticism at fellow Republicans who are supporting the impeachment.

“As to Senate leadership, I fear they are making the problem worse, not better,” Graham said. “To my Republican colleagues who legitimize this process, you are doing great damage not only to the country, the future of the presidency, but also to the party.”

Graham’s statement comes after reports indicated that Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has told colleagues he believes Trump committed impeachable offenses.

It also comes one week after Graham seemed to distance himself from the president in response to Trump inciting a violent mob to storm the Capitol.

“All I can say is count me out,” Graham said last week. “Enough is enough.”

The Republican proposal to amend the rule for debate on the article of impeachment has failed, by a vote of 221-205.

The House voted 221-205 to order the previous question on H.Res. 41. https://t.co/KQHegRyHhp

The House is now voting on the rule itself. If it passes, as is expected, that will kick off two hours of debate on the article of impeachment.

Andy Biggs, a Republican congressman of Arizona, is circulating a petition calling on Liz Cheney to resign from her post as House Republican conference chair, according to Axios.

This petition is being sent around by @RepAndyBiggsAZ’s team pic.twitter.com/S3eoLlEYXE

The petition comes one day after Cheney, the third-ranking House Republican, announced she would support the article of impeachment against Donald Trump.

“The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not,” Cheney said in a statement explaining her vote. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.

“I will vote to impeach the President.”

Joanna Walters

Republican leadership in the US Senate is mulling the possibility of beginning an impeachment trial of Donald Trump as early as Friday if (as appears highly likely) the Democratic Party-dominated House of Representatives approves one article of impeachment, according to a report this morning.

A senior Senate Republican aide, who asked not to be identified, has told the above to the Reuters news agency, and stressed that no decisions had yet been made on whether to take that step.

Jim Jordan, one of the president’s fiercest congressional allies, said Liz Cheney should be removed as House Republican conference chair for supporting impeachment.

“We ought to have a second vote,” Jordan said, per the Washington Post. “The conference ought to vote on that.”

NEWS: @Jim_Jordan says @Liz_Cheney should be removed as conference chair.
"We ought to have a second vote."
"The conference ought to vote on that."

The proposal to oust Cheney for her impeachment vote seems to be at odds with Republicans’ calls for unity and healing after a violent, pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol last week.

Apparently the unity does not apply to House members.

The vote on the rule to set up debate on the article of impeachment is underway, and a number of Republicans are voting by proxy.

The decision is noteworthy because Republican members have criticized House speaker Nancy Pelosi for allowing voting by proxy amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But today, a week after a violent mob stormed the US Capitol, many Republican members are taking the proxy option.

As the vote continues, House members are once again sidestepping the metal detectors that have been set up outside the chamber.

A HuffPost reporter saw three Republican members -- Bob Gibbs, Chip Roy and Garret Graves -- ignore the metal detectors.

Another Republican member, Russ Fulcher, pushed past a cop guarding the metal detectors to gain access to the floor.

The metal detectors were set up yesterday to provide more security on the floor, in response to the violent riot at the Capitol last week, but some Republicans have objected to their use or ignored them entirely.

The House is now voting on the rule to open debate on the article of impeachment, incitement of insurrection, against Donald Trump.

Dozens of Republicans have already voted against the rule, but it is expected to pass with all Democrats’ support.

This is a procedural vote that will allow the House to move on to debate the article of impeachment itself. The final vote on the article will come this afternoon.

A New York Times reporter captured a picture of a group of black National Guard troops posing for a photo with the statue of civil rights leader Rosa Parks in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.

Taking a photo with the statue of Rosa Parks in Statuary Hall. pic.twitter.com/wUcGRnPFLS

The picture resonated with many, given that it was taken just a week after violent rioters (many of whom espoused white supremacist views) stormed the Capitol.

These black service members are now protecting the very lawmakers who were forced to shelter in place because of that mob.

Nancy Mace, a Republican of South Carolina, delivered her first floor speech as a congresswoman moments ago, addressing the article of impeachment against Donald Trump.

“This is not the reason why I wanted to give my first speech in our chambers,” Mace said.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, making her first speech on the House floor, argues against Trump's impeachment because it's "rushed" and "there is violence on both sides of the aisle" pic.twitter.com/Ym534qDLbx

Mace expressed dismay about the violence at the Capitol last week, saying she was very grateful that she sent her children home before Wednesday because she was worried about the rhetoric she was seeing.

Mace, who has been very critical of Trump and his allies who have echoed his baseless claims of widespread fraud in the presidential election, then went on to argue this impeachment is “rushed,” so she will not be supporting it.

She added that “there is violence on both sides of the aisle.” But the violence last week, which resulted in five deaths, was incited by the president and was carried out by a group of his supporters.

“I hold him accountable for the events that transpired,” Mace said of Trump. And yet ... she is not supporting impeachment.