Trump trial: Democrats brace for Capitol riots

 

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has briefed lawmakers on plans to remove President Donald Trump from office before impeachment measures begin.

Ms Pelosi told House Democrats they needed to "act with urgency"

The House will vote on a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to strip Trump's presidential powers.

Then House Democrats bring the charge of "incitement to revolt" against Trump for his role in the violent storming of the Capitol.

The first vote can be taken on Monday.

On Sunday, Pelosi wrote to lawmakers an outline of plans to pass a resolution formally requesting Vice President Pence to demand the 25th Amendment.

The pass would eventually allow Pence to play the role of President and remove Trump from the White House.

What is the 25th Amendment?

Her message said that this would be the first step, and that the Democratic House of Representatives "will then proceed to put forward impeachment legislation on the ground."

Pelosi said: "In our defense of our charter and our democracy, we will act quickly, because this president represents an imminent threat to both of them."

Earlier, James Kleburn, another senior Democrat in the House of Representatives, told CNN that while an article to impeach Mr. Trump is likely to be voted this week, the party may not send any articles to the Senate for his trial even after President-elect Joe. Biden's first 100 days in office.

This would allow Biden to confirm his new government and initiate major policies including tackling the coronavirus - something that will have to wait if the Senate has already received impeachment articles.

Mr Trump has not made any public statements since he was banned from several social media platforms - including Twitter - on Friday.

On Sunday, however, the White House announced that the president will tour Texas on Tuesday to go to a section of the border wall with Mexico to highlight his administration's work there.

The 65 Days leading to the mayhem on the Capitol

    • Can Trump be removed from power?

    • The chase to locate and arrest rioters on the Capitol

Democrats and a growing number of Republicans accused Trump of encouraging Wednesday's riots in Congress that killed five people.

But none of the Republican senators said they would vote to convict him of wrongdoing in the Senate.