Second impeachment by the House

On January 13, 2021, Donald Trump became the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives. This unprecedented action came just a week before the end of his term and was a direct response to the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, which was fueled by Trump’s false claims of a stolen election. The Capitol Riot and Its Aftermath On January 6, 2021, a joint session of Congress convened to certify the Electoral College results of the 2020 presidential election, confirming Joe Biden as the next President of the United States. Earlier that day, Trump addressed a large crowd of his supporters at a rally near the White House, where he repeated unsubstantiated claims that the election had been rigged and stolen from him. He urged his followers to "peacefully and patriotically" make their voices heard but also said they needed to "fight like hell" to "stop the steal." Following his speech, a mob of Trump supporters marched to the Capitol and forcibly breached the building, overwhelming security and storming the halls of Congress. The rioters vandalized offices, engaged in violent confrontations with law enforcement, and temporarily halted the certification process. The chaos resulted in the deaths of five people, including a Capitol police officer, and shocked the nation and the world. In the immediate aftermath, there was widespread condemnation of the attack from both domestic and international leaders. The incident led to increased calls for Trump to be held accountable for inciting the violence, with numerous lawmakers and officials demanding his removal from office, either through the invocation of the 25th Amendment or through impeachment. The Second Impeachment On January 11, 2021, Democrats in the House of Representatives introduced a single article of impeachment against Trump, charging him with "incitement of insurrection." The article accused Trump of encouraging the violence at the Capitol by repeatedly claiming that the election had been stolen and by urging his supporters to march on the Capitol. The impeachment article also cited Trump's earlier efforts to subvert the election results, including his pressure on Georgia officials to "find" votes to overturn Biden's victory in the state. Just two days later, on January 13, the House voted to impeach Trump for the second time. The vote was 232 to 197, with 10 Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting the impeachment. This bipartisan support, though limited, was significant as it underscored the seriousness of the charges against Trump and the gravity of the events that had unfolded on January 6. The Senate Trial and Outcome Following the House's impeachment vote, the process moved to the Senate for a trial, which began after Trump had already left office. The trial was unprecedented, as it marked the first time a former president was tried for impeachment. The key issue debated during the trial was whether Trump’s actions on January 6 constituted incitement of insurrection and whether a former president could be convicted by the Senate. The trial lasted from February 9 to February 13, 2021. House impeachment managers, serving as the prosecution, presented evidence, including video footage and statements from Trump and the rioters, to argue that Trump had incited the violence and posed a danger to the democratic process. Trump's defense team countered that the impeachment was unconstitutional since Trump was no longer in office and argued that his speech was protected by the First Amendment. On February 13, the Senate voted on whether to convict Trump. The vote was 57 in favor of conviction and 43 against, falling short of the two-thirds majority (67 votes) required for conviction. Seven Republican senators joined all 50 Democrats in voting to convict Trump, making it the most bipartisan impeachment vote in U.S. history, but not enough to secure a conviction. #MomentsOfLife #MoofLife_Moment #MoofLife #DonaldTrump #Impeachment #USCapitolRiot #AmericanPolitics #USHistory