Unlike their first impeachment effort, House Democrats are gaining Republican support in the latest bid to impeach and convict President Donald Trump after thousands of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the No. 3 Republican in the House, released a statement to declare her intention to vote to impeach the president.
“On January 6, 2021 a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes,” Cheney said. “This insurrection caused injury, death, and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic.”
She continued, “Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing.”
“None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”
Finally, she said, “I will vote to impeach the President.”
Read the statement below:
FULL stmt below: "The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President." pic.twitter.com/j7s8q8SxTv
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) January 12, 2021
Cheney’s comments come as the House is set to vote on an article of impeachment that charges Trump with “incitement of insurrection.”
The resolution, drafted by Congressional Democrats, reads, “President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government.”
“He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government. He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States,” it adds.
Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) became the first Republican lawmaker to announce he would vote to impeach Trump. Cheney released her statement shortly after Katko announced his support for impeachment.
Cheney is reportedly not the only member of Republican Congressional leadership who is in support of impeaching Trump. The New York Times reports that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is “pleased” with the effort and that he believes Trump committed an impeachable offense.
And in a further sign of a massive rift between Congressional Republicans and Trump, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) reportedly will not pressure lawmakers to vote against the article of impeachment.
That is a significant break from just over a year ago when every House Republican voted against Democrats’ two articles of impeachment, and only Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) voted in favor of the article of impeachment regarding abuse of power.
