By Yasin Ebrahim
Investing.com - The U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday voted to impeach President Donald Trump, making him the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice.
The House voted 232 to 197 to approve an article of impeachment charging Trump with "incitement of insurrection" for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. In the moments leading up to the siege on the Capitol, Trump had urged his loyalists to “fight like hell,” as he continued to claim, without evidence, that the election result was a fraud. Ten Republicans joined Democrats in the yes column.
Trump now faces a trial in the Senate, where he is widely expected to be acquitted. A conviction in the Senate requires a two-thirds majority, meaning 17 Republicans would have vote alongside the 50 Democrats to impeach the president.
The impeachment trail in the Senate is not expected to get underway before Jan. 19 after Minority Leader Mitch McConnell rejected demands to call an emergency session. President-elect Joe Biden is set to be sworn in on Jan. 20.
Early on Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence declined to invoke the 25th Amendment that would have led to Trump's immediate removal.
Trump was previously impeached on Dec. 18, 2019, on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.