House poised to impeach Trump for second time
For the first time in U.S. history, the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday will vote to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time for his role in the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol last week.
The single article of impeachment seeks to charge the outgoing president with "incitement of insurrection" after he encouraged his supporters to march on the Capitol building to express their anger over an election Trump insists without evidence was stolen from him.
TRUMP ON JANUARY 6, 2021: "We fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore."
The stage was set for impeachment Wednesday after Vice President Mike Pence rejected an effort to persuade him to invoke the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to remove Trump.
But the president's support among other Republicans appeared to be slipping as a small but growing number of members of his own party break ranks.
At least five House Republicans, including the third most powerful House Republican leader, Liz Cheney, said they would vote for Trump's impeachment.
Impeachment of Trump would not immediately remove him from office but would set up a trial in the Senate. It remained unclear whether such a trial would take place in time to expel Trump from office.
As lawmakers debated the matter, National Guard troops and police were stationed around the Capitol to provide security. Some service members wearing fatigues, with weapons in hand, could be seen sleeping inside the Capitol building.
