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The White House on Sunday, Sept. 30 2018. Photo: Chas Hundley
President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives, a second time for the president, and a first for the nation. No other president has been impeached twice.
Several House Republicans joined their Democratic Party colleagues in voting to impeach President Donald Trump for his role in inciting a mob of his supporters that broke into the U.S. Capitol, ransacked congressional offices, and, according to Capitol Police, beat a police officer to death. Four others died, one shot by police, and three suffering what authorities described as “medical emergencies.”
One impeachment article was brought against Trump, charging him with “Incitement of Insurrection,” condemning his role in the Jan. 6 events at the U.S. Capitol as a high crime against the U.S. Government.
Prior to the rampage, Trump had given a speech to a group of his supporters, telling them, among other things, ‘‘if you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore,” according to the impeachment article.
Breaking with their party majority, ten Republican representatives voted to impeach the president, including John Katko of New York, Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Fred Upton and Peter Meijer of Michigan, Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse of Washington, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, Tom Rice of South Carolina, and David Valadao of California.
All Democratic Party representatives who voted cast a “yes” vote to impeach the president, including Oregon’s four Democratic Party representatives.
Newly elected Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz of Ontario, Oregon voted no on impeachment.
In total, 232 House members voted to impeach, with 197 voting not to impeach.
The House will eventually submit the impeachment to the Senate, which is not in session. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office said he would not use his emergency powers to bring the senate back into session prior to Jan. 19 when the session is scheduled to begin, meaning that when the Senate finishes the impeachment trial, it is likely Trump will already be out of office, with Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.
If convicted by the Senate, President Trump faces the possibility that he will be barred from holding political office in the U.S., if the Senate so votes.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
