Chris Christie Says He d Vote to Impeach Trump for Inciting Insurrection
On 1/10/21 at 12:07 PM EST
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican, said Sunday that he would vote to impeach and remove President Donald Trump from office if he served in Congress, after the president incited an insurrection to attack the U.S. Capitol last week.
A mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday as Congress met to certify President-elect Joe Biden s election victory. During a Washington, D.C. rally near the Capitol ahead of the assault, Trump urged his supporters to march to the legislative building and fight much harder to overturn the election results. The president has constantly pushed baseless claims that the election was stolen through widespread voter fraud.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
It’s happening again.
Last month, in the final week of then-President Donald Trump’s presidency, the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump for a second time, charging him with “incitement of insurrection” for inflaming a pro-Trump mob that attacked and briefly occupied the US Capitol on January 6. Trump’s second impeachment trial begins Tuesday, even though he is no longer in office.
So why would lawmakers bother with impeachment? One answer is that removal is not the only sanction available if Trump is convicted: The Constitution also permits the Senate to permanently disqualify Trump from holding “any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States.”
Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called on Vice President
Mike Pence and Trump s Cabinet to remove the president from office by invoking the 25th Amendment. Both said they could move forward with impeachment if the vice president and secretaries do not act.
In a statement earlier Thursday, Schumer said Congress should reconvene to impeach the president if Pence and the Cabinet do not invoke the 25th Amendment. Pelosi said lawmakers may be prepared to take the step if executive branch officials do not try to remove him. She added that the move would have overwhelming support within her caucus.
Both Democratic leaders said Trump would endanger the country even in the two weeks he has left in office.
Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called on Vice President
Mike Pence and Trump s Cabinet to remove the president from office by invoking the 25th Amendment. Both said they could move forward with impeachment if the vice president and secretaries do not act.
In a statement earlier Thursday, Schumer said Congress should reconvene to impeach the president if Pence and the Cabinet do not invoke the 25th Amendment. Pelosi said lawmakers may be prepared to take the step if executive branch officials do not try to remove him. She added that the move would have overwhelming support within her caucus.
Both Democratic leaders said Trump would endanger the country even in the two weeks he has left in office.
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Source: AP Photo/Evan Vucci
In one of two runoff Senate races in Georgia, Raphael Warnock declared victory over Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA). Decision Desk called the race for Warnock late on Tuesday night.
Raphael Warnock to ABC: Certainly this is a historic moment and I m just deeply grateful to be a vessel in a moment in which we re facing such large problems in our country, and I can t wait to get to the U.S. Senate to represent the concerns of ordinary people. Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 6, 2021
Joy comes in the morning. Thank you, Georgia. pic.twitter.com/Dw8wPWAMeI Senator-Elect Reverend Raphael Warnock (@ReverendWarnock) January 6, 2021