Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told the House Democratic caucus in a call Friday that she could move on impeachment if President Trump does not resign.
Pelosi said on the call that if Trump doesn’t resign or if Vice President Mike Pence will not invoke the 25th Amendment, impeaching Trump will be easier this time. Pelosi said there is more support for impeaching Trump now than there was in 2019 when Trump was impeached by the House.
The president is largely considered responsible for the storm on the Capitol Wednesday that resulted in five deaths
and numerous injuries. At a rally that day in front of the White House, Trump told his supporters to march to the Capitol.Pence is unlikely to invoke the 25th Amendment, as it would be a horrible look for Republicans and Trump is highly unlikely to resign. There are some concerns that Republicans would not support any effort to remove Trump as it could upset his supporters in their districts. However, Pelosi indicated that view seems to be second behind holding Trump accountable for his actions.
Unlike Trump’s first impeachment, this one would be much faster. Instead of hearings and investigations that could take weeks, it’s more likely that a member brings a privileged resolution to the House floor and offers it in session. It’s expected that Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) will bring members back.
Once that happens, the entire process could happen in a matter of days, as only a majority is needed for Trump to become the first and only president to be impeached twice. That however, would not remove him from office. The Senate would still have to vote.
California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy released a statement on Twitter Friday saying impeaching the president would only lead to more division in the country. However, nine members of Trump’s administration have resigned due to due to the pro-Trump mob storming the Capitol. Other Republican lawmakers, such as Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C), wasted no time separating themselves from Trump.
Reps. David Cicilline, Jamie Raskin, and Ted Lieu are consulting with House Judiciary Committee aides on one of the Democratic impeachment resolutions in order to prepare for a quick vote next week, if needed. The aides are helping to fine tune the resolution, which includes more than 131 co-sponsors, including Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, who said he supported bypassing his committee and moving straight to a vote on the floor.
Pelosi also said she talked to Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, about the possibility of Trump signing off on a nuclear attack. She added that Milley has received assurances that Trump will not be able to launch a weapon without authorization.