Democrats introduce Article of Impeachment against Trump in US Congress
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In this file photo US President Donald Trump smiles during the first presidential debate at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 29, 2020
Washington: The Democrats on Monday introduced a single article, charging the outgoing US President Donald Trump with "incitement of insurrection" following the violent storming of the Capitol last week.
The article of impeachment was introduced in the House of Representatives after a Republican member objected to a resolution asking Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office.
Sharing the development, David Cicilline, Congressman for Rhode Island's 1st District, said that the Democrats have the votes to impeach.
Here is the article of impeachment I just introduced, along with 213 colleagues, against President Trump for Incitement of Insurrection.
— David Cicilline (@davidcicilline) January 11, 2021
Most important of all, I can report that we now have the votes to impeach. pic.twitter.com/RaJIjzQSvm
The house was subsequently adjourned and will now meet on Tuesday, when a vote on the resolution would be taken.
Ahead of the session, the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a copy of the resolution, calling on Pence to act.
Accusing Trump of encouraging "rioters and insurrectionists to 'march on the Capitol' and 'fight'" last Wednesday, the resolution seeks Pence to "declare what is obvious to a horrified nation: that the President is unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office".
It also charges Trump with "at least 3 attempts to intervene in the lawful vote counting and certification process in Georgia".
If no action is taken on the resolution, the Democrats vowed to impeach President Trump again.
The impeachment resolution cites Trump's repeated unsubstantiated claims that he won the November elections, his speech in Washington on the day of the riot, and his plea with Georgia's top voting official to "find" more Republican votes even after the tally had been finalised, the BBC reported.
"In all this, 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 imperilled a coequal branch of government. He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States," it said.
(Based on IANS feed)