House Democrats have published their articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in the wake of the deadly and destructive riots at the U.S. Capitol building last Wednesday. They accuse Trump of “willfully inciting violence against the government of the United States,” a charge that Democrats say amounts to “high crimes and misdemeanors,” and is, therefore, an impeachable offense. Over four pages, the articles cite Trump’s speech to his supporters on the day of the riots, which they say encouraged his followers to storm the Capitol building. Unveiling the articles, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) said Dems will proceed with impeachment if Vice President Mike Pence fails to “do his duty and invoke the 25th Amendment.”
A resolution by House Democrats to call on Pence to use his constitutional authority to remove Trump in a vote of unanimous consent was blocked by House Republicans. A vote on the measure with come Tuesday, Democratic leaders said. If Pence does not act to remove Trump, a House vote on the impeachment charge is likely to come this week, possibly as soon as Wednesday.
