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The United States House of Representatives on Wednesday impeached President Donald Trump by 232 votes to 197, on a charge of inciting insurrection. Ten Republicans voted with Democrats, making him the first president to be impeached twice.
Liz Cheney, the GOP’s third-most-senior House member, voted to impeach, saying the president’s incitement of the Capitol riot was a “betrayal”.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate leader, was pleased Democrats were moving to impeach the president for a second time.
However, on Wednesday it was confirmed that the Senate will not return early, meaning that the earliest a trial could start is 19 January. Effectively it will not happen until Joe Biden is president.
In addition, McConnell’s office told reporters that he had not made a decision on how he will vote and would listen to the legal arguments, confirming that he may vote to convict Trump.
There were stunning images out of the Capitol as lawmakers and journalists arrived to find hundreds of members of the National Guard sleeping along hallways and in the visitors’ centre as security was ramped up to the maximum.
The president issued a statement through the White House press office calling for all Americans to reject violence.