House pushes for Trump's removal after deadly Capitol riot

By Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya, Mike Hayes, Melissa Mahtani and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 1:29 AM ET, Wed January 13, 2021
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11:05 a.m. ET, January 12, 2021

House Democrats plan to vote tomorrow to impeach Trump. Here are the key things to know.

From CNN's Jeremy Herb, Manu Raju, Lauren Fox and Phil Mattingly

Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images
Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images

House Democrats plan to vote Wednesday to impeach President Trump, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told Democrats on a caucus call Monday, setting up an impeachment vote one week after rioters incited by Trump overran Capitol police and breached some of the most secure areas of the US Capitol.

Here are key things to know about the impeachment fight in Congress:

  • Democrats formally introduced their impeachment resolution Monday, charging Trump with "incitement of insurrection" as they race toward making him the first president in history to be impeached twice. You can read the full document here.
  • The single impeachment article, which was introduced when the House gaveled into a brief pro-forma session Monday, points to Trump's repeated false claims that he won the election and his speech to the crowd on Jan. 6 before the rioters breached the Capitol. It also cited Trump's call with the Georgia Republican secretary of state where the President urged him to "find" enough votes for Trump to win the state.
  • The resolution, which was introduced by Democrats David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Ted Lieu of California, also cited the Constitution's 14th Amendment, noting that it "prohibits any person who has 'engaged in insurrection or rebellion against' the United States" from holding office.
  • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democrats on Sunday evening that the House would vote on impeachment this week unless Pence moves to invoke the 25th Amendment with a majority of the Cabinet to remove Trump from power.
  • Still, House Democrats' race toward impeachment poses complications for the incoming Biden administration, as a Senate trial threatens to hamper the opening days of Biden's presidency. While some Democrats had suggested waiting to send the impeachment resolution to the Senate until after Biden's first 100 days in office, Hoyer and other top Democrats said Monday they wanted to do so immediately.
  • Because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he won't bring back the Senate from recess before Jan. 19, that would push the trial into the beginning of the Biden administration.

Read more here.