Democrats are set to move forward with impeachment proceedings as soon as Monday as Donald Trump ignores the growing calls to resign in the wake of the Capitol Hill riot.
Articles of impeachment citing “incitement of insurrection” are reportedly being finalised ahead of formal introduction after the weekend, according to multiple reports.
Quoting two congressional officials, CNN and MSNBC reported that the articles of impeachment were to be introduced during the House pro forma session on Monday by David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Ted Lieu of California and Jamie Raskin of Maryland.
In a letter to Democrats on Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said they would move forward with impeaching the president if he didn’t resign immediately or the Cabinet did not invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him from office.
“If the president does not leave office imminently and willingly, the Congress will proceed with our action,” the letter said.
It comes as Joe Biden remained silent on whether Mr Trump should be impeached for a second time.
“What the Congress decides to do is for them to decide,” Mr Biden said.
Asked directly if Mr Trump should be removed from office, Mr Biden sidestepped when answering.
“He is not fit to serve. He is one of the most incompetent presidents,” he said. “What happens with … 13 days left to go? I think that what 81m people stood up and said, ‘It’s time for him to go' … The quickest way for that to happen is for us to be sworn in on the 20th.”
In response to calls for a new impeachment, White House spokesperson Judd Deere said: “As President Trump said, this is a time for healing and unity as one nation. A politically motivated impeachment against a president with 12 days remaining in his term will only serve to further divide our great country.”
With Mr Trump giving no sign he will step down before the inauguration, and no indications from Mike Pence and the Cabinet that they will remove the president through the 25th amendment, House Democrats would have 10 days from Monday to follow-through on their plans to impeach.
The draft articles of impeachment point to the president’s speech moments before they stormed the Capitol
“There, he reiterated false claims that ‘we won this election, and we won it by a landslide,’” the document says. “He also willfully made statements that encouraged – and foreseeably resulted in – imminent lawless action at the Capitol,” the draft says.
