Ten Republicans Join Democrats To Impeach Trump

On Wednesday afternoon, the US House voted to impeach President Trump for the second time. Ten Republican Representatives voted with the Democrats in favor of impeachment, with the official vote totally 232-197. 

The 10 Republicans who chose to impeach Trump were Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, Rep. Jamie Herrera-Beutler of Washington, Rep. John Katko of New York, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan, Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington, Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina, Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, and Rep. David Valadao of California.

The article of impeachment charged the President with the crime of “incitement of insurrection”. 

Of course, Trump did not incite violence, and his speech prior to the protest at the capitol last Wednesday called for peaceful demonstration and condemned violence. Also, the only violence that occurred at the protest seemed to come at the hands of a few leftist agitators and a few government agents. 

The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” Liz Cheney, the third most powerful Republican in the House wrote in a statement. “Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”

While there is essentially no time for the Senate to convict Trump before his term ends on January 20th, the many Republican defectors could convince outgoing leader, Mitch McConnell to expedite the vote, even if only to send a signal to Trump and others who challenge the authoritarian leftist mob.