House Democrats introduced an article of impeachment charging President Trump over the riot at the Capitol.
This is the Impeachment Briefing, The Times’s newsletter about the impeachment investigation. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. Welcome to the Impeachment Briefing. Yes, we’re back. Just over a year after House Democrats impeached President Trump, they’re poised to do it a second time — a first in American history. Margaret Kibben, the chaplain of the House of Representatives, opened a day of business Monday morning with this prayer: “The events of last week — the destruction, the damage, and the deaths of our fellow Americans — are deeply disturbing. The seeds of discontent were sown across our country, and we have reaped the whirlwind. Almighty God, speak into this storm.” Unlike 2019’s impeachment, which centered on a scheme to pressure Ukraine to announce investigations into Mr. Trump’s political rivals, this potential impeachment is taking place at the scene of its charge: the Capitol, invaded by a pro-Trump mob incited by the president, who minutes earlier had evoked violent imagery as he implored an angry crowd to “fight” the election results. A Capitol Police officer and at least four others died. The speed of 2021’s impeachment of Mr. Trump will most likely be extraordinary, occurring in just a matter of days, without any significant investigation, hearings or public debate. Democrats are already preparing a lengthier impeachment report documenting Mr. Trump’s actions and the destruction that followed to accompany their charge. The impeachment article charges Mr. Trump with “inciting violence against the government of the United States” and encouraging his supporters to obstruct the certification of the election, among other accusations. The article includes a reference to the 14th Amendment, the post-Civil War addition to the Constitution that prohibits anyone who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the U.S. from holding future office. Lawmakers also mentioned Mr. Trump’s efforts to pressure officials in Georgia to overturn the state’s presidential election results.
