UPDATED 1/8, 3:40 p.m.: CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta shared on Friday afternoon that Democrats in the House of Representatives are “currently planning to introduce articles of impeachment” against Trump “as soon as Monday.” That’ll be Jan. 11, a mere nine days before Joe Biden’s inauguration.
UPDATED 1/6, 9:40 p.m.: In addition to Ilhan Omar drawing up articles of impeachment against Trump, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) introduced legislation that called on Republican congresspersons who have supported Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud to be investigated and potentially removed from office for their actions in inciting violence and undermining democracy.
See original story below.
United States Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) announced she is drawing up Articles of Impeachment against Donald Trump, who is set to leave office in 14 days.
"I am drawing up Articles of Impeachment. Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate," Omar tweeted Wednesday afternoon. "We can’t allow him to remain in office, it’s a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath."
The announcement came amid violence at the U.S. Capitol, where thousands of Trump supporters succesfully breached the building as part of a "Stop the Steal" rally. The right-wing campaign promotes the baseless conspiracy theory that Democrats "stole" the 2020 presidential election from President Trump. POTUS has fueled the movement by repeatedly spewing allegations of voter fraud.
Video showed a mob of Trump supporters forcefully entering the Capitol, where Congress members were set to certify Joe Biden's Electoral College win. Authorities placed the building on lockdown and reportedly evacuated lawmakers.
Trump shared a video message to his supporters shortly after the building was stormed, urging them to "go home" while also reiterating his claims of election fraud.
"I know you’re hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us," Trump said in the video. "But you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have law and order. We have to respect our great people in law and order. We don’t want anybody hurt ... We will never give up. We will never concede. It will never happen. You don’t concede when there’s death involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore." The video has since been removed by Twitter for violating the company's rules.
A number of lawmakers have accused Trump of inciting the riots in Washington, D.C., pointing to his divisive rhetoric and his debunked claims about a "stolen election." Rep. Mondair Jones (D-NY) was among these critics and has echoed Omar's calls for impeachment.
WH resignations growing. They include:
-Stephanie Grisham, First Lady’s chief of staff
-Rickie Niceta, WH Social Secretary
-Sara Matthews, WH Deputy Press Secretary
Others reportedly considering resigning:
-Robert O’Brien, National Security Adviser
-Matt Pottinger, deputy NSA
Business leaders have also called for Trump to be immediately removed from office to ensure democracy is preserved. Jay Timmons, the CEO/president of the National Association of Manufacturers, released a statement Wednesday calling on Vice President Mike Pence to assist in the effort.
"This is not law and order. This is chaos. It is mob rule. It is dangerous," Timmons wrote. "This is sedition and should be treated as such. The outgoing president incited violence in an attempt to retain power, and any elected leader defending him is violating their oath to the Constitution and rejecting democracy in favor of anarchy. Anyone indulging conspiracy theories to raise campaign dollars is complicit. Vice President Pence, who was evacuated from the Capitol, should seriously consider working with the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to preserve democracy ... We are trying to rebuild an economy and save and rebuild lives. But none of that will matter if our leaders refuse to fend off this attack on America and our democracy—because our very system of government, which underpins our very way of life, will crumble."
First Lady Melania Trump's chief of staff Stephanie Grisham, who was previously White House communications director and press secretary, resigned from her position following the incident at the Capitol.Â
White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews and White House Social Secretary Rickie Niceta also resigned.
You can read reactions to Omar's calls for impeachment below.
