The US House of Representatives on Wednesday impeached President Donald Trump for "incitement of insurrection" for promoting last week's deadly riot at the Capitol.
“There will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate, there will be a vote on convicting the president for high crimes and misdemeanors, and if the president is convicted, there will be a vote on barring him from running again,” Schumer, the chamber's top Democrat, said Wednesday.
A Senate trial can begin immediately if the current Senate Republican Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, agrees to reconvene for an emergency session, Schumer added. Otherwise, the Senate could start the process after January 19, he said.
“Now that the House of Representatives has acted, the Senate will hold a fair trial on the impeachment of Donald Trump for his role in inciting the violent insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6 and attempting to overturn a free and fair election,” Schumer said.
In December 2019, Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress charges in connection with his alleged attempt to force Ukraine into probing Biden’s son. But the Senate, where the Republican Party enjoyed a majority, voted not to remove him from office in February 2020.
At least five people died during the violent January 6 attack, after thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, including some wielding weapons inside the halls of Congress. The assault came after Trump urged followers to keep fighting and not allow the election to be "stolen." Trump's allegations of vote fraud have been consistently refuted by US election security and Justice Department officials.
On Tuesday, Trump told reporters that the speech he delivered on January 6 prior to the armed insurrection on Capitol Hill was "totally appropriate." He said his second impeachment was a "continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics."
