WASHINGTON | Donald Trump could find himself, as of Monday, under the blow of a second impeachment procedure, an unprecedented historical development, while he showed no sign on Saturday of wanting to resign or to withdraw after the violence of the January 6 at the Capitol.
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An indictment text (impeachment), written by elected Democrats in the House of Representatives, accuses the Republican president of having “deliberately made statements” which encouraged the invasion of the Congress building by his supporters.
Gathered by Donald Trump to demonstrate against the certification by Congress of Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election, they then burst during the parliamentary session. Events never seen in Washington and in which five people died, including a police officer.
Several figures of the assault were arrested by the police and charged on Saturday with illegal trespassing and violent conduct, including conspirator Jake Angeli. Mr. Angeli, who had captured the attention of photographers with his tattoos and horned headgear, had brought a spear into the temple of American democracy.
The indictment article, signed by at least 180 parliamentarians, according to the elected Democrat Ted Lieu, affirms that Donald Trump has “seriously endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government”.
The decision to launch this new impeachment procedure (impeachment) will return once again to the powerful Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. She promised to act if the Republican president does not resign immediately.
“He’s crazy, out of balance and dangerous. He must leave, ”she insisted, going so far as to meet with the chief of staff of the American army to ensure that Donald Trump cannot use nuclear codes.
More isolated than ever
Reclusive in the White House, Donald Trump would have informed his relatives that he had no intention of resigning, according to the New York Times Saturday.
Even in the Republican camp, some elected officials seemed open to the possibility of a new impeachment. Senator Ben Sasse has said he will review the charges if the House opens impeachment proceedings.
Without commenting on a potential “impeachment”, another elected Republican called for the departure of Donald Trump.
“I want him to resign. I want to see him go. He’s done enough damage, ”said moderate Senator Lisa Murkowski.
More isolated than ever, when two members of his government resigned, the Republican billionaire was deprived, Friday evening, of his favorite communication channel, Twitter, but gave no sign of wanting to be discreet.
“We will not be silenced,” he replied after the permanent suspension of his Twitter account via the official POTUS account (President of the United States), for the attention of the “75 million patriots” who have voted for him.
Screenshot | Twitter
Donald Trump even spoke of reprisals against the social network which “prohibits freedom of expression” and the possible launch of his own platform in the near future, through a series of messages immediately withdrawn by Twitter.
“Silencing freedom of expression is dangerous,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, loyal to Donald Trump on Saturday.
Infamy of a second impeachment
In power since 2017, Donald Trump has already been targeted in Congress by an infamous impeachment procedure, opened by Nancy Pelosi at the end of 2019 on the accusation of having asked a foreign country, Ukraine, to investigate his rival Joe Biden. He had been acquitted in the Senate, with a Republican majority, in early 2020.
For the new impeachment process to be successful, the Republican billionaire would have to be found guilty by two-thirds of the Senate, which has no chance of happening until his successor Joe Biden is sworn in on January 20.
The leader of the Republicans in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, has also circulated a memo stating that under current Senate rules, no impeachment trial could take place before the inauguration of the president-elect, unless all of the senators do not authorize such a procedure.
Still, the launch of a second impeachment would leave an indelible mark on Donald Trump’s record: no American president has suffered this dishonor.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close friend of Donald Trump, for his part warned against such a step which would risk “destroying the country even more”, asking Joe Biden to intervene.
“I hope you will use your power to stop this before it’s too late,” he added, speaking directly to Mr Biden during an intervention on Fox News.
Posing as the pacifier of a country shaken by the events of the Capitol, the elected president was careful not to take a position on this question ofimpeachment. It’s up to Congress to decide, he said.