Trump Is Impeached Again, Faces Senate Trial on Riot at Capitol

House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, a staunch Trump ally, said impeaching the president in so short a time, with no investigation or hearings, would be a mistake.

"Here is what a vote to impeach would do. It would further divide this nation. A vote to impeach will further fan the flames of partisan division," said McCarthy, who voted to challenge the electoral votes of two states won by Biden, just hours after the mob angered by Trump's loss stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Some Democrats have expressed misgivings about impeachment leading to a Senate trial just as Biden was beginning his term, potentially overshadowing the transfer of power and stalling cabinet nominee confirmations and early legislative initiatives of the new Democratic administration.

'An Armed Camp'

As the lawmakers gathered in the House chamber Wednesday, the Capitol and surrounding areas in Washington resembled an armed camp.

Thousands of National Guard troops and other security personnel guarded and patrolled grounds and buildings. Police closed nearby streets with parked military vehicles, and tall metal fencing encircled much of the area.

The attack on the Capitol stunned and frightened many lawmakers, motivating Democrats to act fast.

The impeachment proceeding went forward without holding hearings, taking witness testimony, or an investigation.

That process played out for weeks in late 2019, as House Democrats impeached Trump on abuse of power and obstruction charges related to allegations he pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter.

Polls on Violence

Democrats claimed there was clear public support for this second impeachment, arguing that much of America had been repulsed from what they witnessed playing out Jan. 6 on broadcast and other media.

Polls show that the public's view of the president has declined as a result of the violence.

A Quinnipiac University survey conducted after the storming of the Capitol found 56% of voters hold Trump responsible. In the same survey, Trump's approval rating was 33%, a drop from the 44% rating he had in a December poll.

Jan. 6 Events

The events of Jan. 6 started with thousands of Trump supporters gathering in Washington as Congress was set to certify that Biden won the election.

But as Trump and his congressional backers continued to dispute the election with false claims of electoral fraud, the president himself urged his supporters to go the Capitol and register their opposition to the constitutional process.

The resulting attack on the Capitol was a scene of unprecedented rampage and trauma for the nation — a U.S. Capitol police officer died after being beaten, one rioter died after being shot, and others were injured or died in medical emergencies.

Capitol offices were ransacked, and there were tense moment when even lawmakers inside the House chamber were under siege.

"In all of this, President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government," the impeachment article states. "Donald John Trump engaged in high Crimes and Misdemeanors by inciting violence against the Government of the United States."

The House voted after about three hours of debate Wednesday. The proceedings took place in the same chamber where presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were impeached, as well as Trump for the first time in December 2019. None of them were convicted by the Senate.