US President Donald Trump became the first US president to be impeached twice when the House of Representatives voted on Wednesday for inciting a violent insurrection against the US government.
Sources said some 10 members of the Republicans joined Democrats to charge him with high crimes and misdemeanours.
“Today, in a bipartisan way, the House demonstrated that no one is above the law, not even the president of the United States,” Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
The House adopted a single article of impeachment, voting 232-197 to charge Trump with “inciting violence against the government of the United States” and requesting his immediate removal from office and disqualification from ever holding one again.
The Senate will not hold a trial before January 20, when Democrat Joe Biden assumes the presidency, meaning Trump will escape the ignominy of being forced to leave early.
“Donald Trump has deservedly become the first president in American history to bear the stain of impeachment twice over,” said Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, who in a week’s time will become Senate leader.
Earlier, Trump has issued a statement urging for there to be “no violence, no law-breaking and no vandalism of any kind”.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi started the House debate over the article of impeachment against the outgoing President. “We know that the President of the United States incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion against our common country. He must go, he is a clear & present danger to the nation that we all love,” she said.
Trump survived a first impeachment almost exactly a year ago when the Republican-controlled Senate acquitted him of abusing his office to try and get dirt on Biden’s family before the election.
This time, his downfall was triggered by a speech he delivered to a crowd on the National Mall on January 6, telling them that Biden had stolen the presidential election and that they needed to march on Congress and show “strength.”
