WASHINGTON, DC – President Donald Trump has been impeached by the U.S. House over the violent siege of the Capitol. He is the only president to be twice impeached. He faced a single charge “incitement of insurrection” in Wednesday’s vote after he encouraged a mob of loyalists to, as he put it, “fight like hell” against election results.
The subsequent attack on the U.S. Capitol turned deadly and delayed finalizing Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory. Security was exceptionally tight at the Capitol for Wednesday’s vote, beefed up by armed National Guard troops, with secure perimeters set up and metal-detector screenings required for lawmakers entering the House chamber. A handful of Republicans supported impeachment along with the Democrats.
St. Louis area US Congresswoman Ann Wagner did not vote to impeach President Donald Trump. She released the following statement:
“January 6 was a dark and tragic day for our nation. We have a democratic process for a reason, and the future of our republic depends on us respecting the results of the free and fair elections in which we all participate. A hallmark of our country is peaceful protest, but last Wednesday’s actions were not peaceful, they were violent actions intended to disrupt Congress’s constitutional duty in the Presidential transition. President Trump’s statements during and in the immediate aftermath of last week’s assault on democracy were antithetical to the leadership our nation desperately needed in a time of crisis. America needs strong leadership right now. With so little time left this term, specifically with regard to the Senate impeachment process, I fully agree with President-elect Joe Biden when he stated the “quickest way” for the President to be out of office will be to wait for January 20th when the President-elect is sworn in.
“It has barely been a week since those horrible events, and the impeachment process has moved at lightning speed. A consequential vote of this nature, something that has happened rarely in our nation’s history, should only be taken after the appropriate investigations and a complete airing of the facts so our vote can be fully informed. This is a necessary step for impeachment that has been bypassed.
“That does not mean, however, that President Trump should escape accountability for his role in the violence that took place January 6th. I support censuring the President for his rhetoric to ensure that his behavior is not deemed acceptable to future leaders, or to our adversaries around the globe. While I am confident that a bipartisan censure resolution would pass both the House and Senate, unfortunately Speaker Pelosi has chosen further divisive actions that stand no chance of being implemented and do nothing to hold the President accountable. Our nation needs to heal and come together, not retreat further into partisan corners.”
