Trump risks the infamy of a second impeachment proceeding
Donald Trump could find himself on Monday subject to a second impeachment procedure, an unprecedented development in history, while on Saturday he showed no sign of wanting to resign or withdraw after the violence of January 6 on Capitol Hill.
An impeachment text, drafted 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 before seen in Washington and in which five people died, including a police officer.
The indictment article also claims 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 will once again fall to the powerful Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. She vowed to act if the Republican president does not resign immediately.
“He's crazy, out of balance and dangerous. He has to go, "she hammered, going so far as to talk to the chief of staff of the United States military to make sure 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 on Saturday.
Even on the Republican side, some elected officials seemed open to the possibility of further impeachment. Senator Ben Sasse has said he will consider 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, after two members of his government have resigned, the Republican billionaire who was deprived of his favorite communication channel, Twitter on Friday evening, has given no sign of wanting to keep quiet.
"We will not be silenced," he replied after the permanent suspension of his Twitter account via the official POTUS (President of the United States) account, for the attention of the "75 million patriots" who have voted for him.
“He's crazy, out of balance and dangerous. He must go "
- Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi
Donald Trump even spoke of reprisals against the social network which "bans freedom of expression" and the possible launch of its 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 succeed, the Republican billionaire would have to be found guilty by two-thirds of the Senate, which is unlikely to happen 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, close to Donald Trump, for his part warned against such a move that would risk "further destroying the country", asking Joe Biden to intervene.
"I hope you will use your power to stop this before it is too late," he added, speaking directly to Mr. Biden, during an intervention on Fox News.
Posing as the peacemaker of a country shaken by the events of Capitol Hill, the president-elect has been careful not to take a position on this question of impeachment. It's up to Congress to decide, he said.
