Pelosi Threatens House Could Move To Impeach Trump, Here's What Second Impeachment Means For President

Even Republicans who have criticised Trump, say impeachment would be unhelpful. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said it would do “more harm than good.”

(FILE Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

US President Impeachment: After the incident of US Capitol Hill violence, the voice for US President Donald Trump impeachment has grown louder with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California indicating that the House would move to impeach President Donald Trump over his role in inciting a violent mob attackif he did not resign “immediately.” Also Read: Unhappy With The Rule Change, UK Returnees Complain And Argue With Security Personnel At Delhi Airport Creating A Ruckus What did Nancy Pelosi say? The speaker asked for In a letter to members of the House, the speaker invoked the resignation of Richard Nixon amid the Watergate scandal, when Republicans prevailed upon the president to resign and avoid the ignominy of impeachment, calling Trump’s actions a “horrific assault on our democracy.” Appealing to Republicans to join the push to force him from office, she writes, "Today, following the president’s dangerous and seditious acts, Republicans in Congress need to follow that example and call on Trump to depart his office — immediately” . “If the president does not leave office imminently and willingly, Congress will proceed with our action.” After a 3.5-hour call with fellow Democrats, Pelosi had instructed the Rules Committee to be prepared to move forward with either a motion for impeachment or legislation sponsored by Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, to establish a body under the 25th Amendment that can declare a president is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.” Meanwhile, the President-elect Joe Biden said that if there were six months remaining in Trump’s term, we should be doing whatever it took to force the president from office. But, instead,  said he is now focused on taking office, with Inauguration Day less than two weeks away. How does impeachment actually work? There is a misconception regarding impeachment because it does not necessarily refers to the President will be kicked off from office. In fact, impeachment refers only to the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress, bringing charges that a president engaged in a “high crime or misdemeanor” - similar to an indictment in a criminal case. If a simple majority of the House’s 435 members approve bringing charges, known as “articles of impeachment,” the process moves to the Senate, the upper chamber, which has a trial, according to AP. The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict and remove a president. How will it affect Trump? The consequence of impeachment is specifically mentioned in the Constitution. Two historical precedents, both involving federal judges, make clear that only a simple majority of the Senate is needed to disqualify Trump from holding future office. Political experts believe it could be done very quickly, within days even, because both chambers have wide latitude to set the rules as they see it. But the current rules, which could be revisited, would make it difficult to complete the process in less than a week, as per Reuters. Legal experts feel Democrats, who will take control of the Senate later in January, have a realistic chance of barring Trump from running for president in 2024 — a possibility he has discussed.

Although there is a complication with that plan because under Senate precedent a vote on disqualification is only held after a vote on whether to convict and remove from office. Experts believed the Senate would have the authority to vote only on future disqualification. This scenario becomes more likely if Trump’s impeachment trial is still pending on Jan. 20, when his presidency ends.

On the other hand, those Republicans who have criticised Trump, say impeachment would be unhelpful. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said it would do “more harm than good.”