President Trump Impeached Again Following Riots at Capitol

Jack O'Donnell, News Editor
January 18, 2021

   On January 6, a violent mob attempted to stop the legislative process of counting electoral votes by attacking the Capitol building in Washington D.C. where the count was taking place.

   According to CNN, five people died in the chaos, including a Capitol police officer. One woman was fatally shot by police and three people died of apparent medical emergencies. Many other officers sustained injuries, and another was hospitalized (cnn.com).

   The mob came from a rally President Donald Trump held just before the attack, according to ABC News. President Trump has repeatedly made unfounded claims that his loss to President-Elect Joe Biden was due to a “rigged” election, and his rally was intended to drum up support. The President is quoted as saying, “You’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength” (abcn

ews.go.com).

   Many politicians and members of the media have held President Trump responsible for the attack on the Capitol. Reporter Michael Goodwin of the New York Post said, “The storming of the United States Capitol marks a new day of infamy in American history. It was a horrifying spectacle that makes us look like an ungovernable third world country to our friends and adversaries alike” (nypost.com).

   In a message to the rioters, President Trump said, “We have to have peace, so go home. We love you, you’re very special,” according to Huffington Post (huffingtonpost.com). 

   Talk of impeachment was immediately brought up following the events of January 6 according to The Los Angeles Times. On January 14, President Trump became the first President to be charged and found guilty twice of  high crimes or misdemeanors (latimes.com). This came in the final days leading up to President-elect Biden’s inauguration on January 20, according to CNBC (cnbc.com). 

   According to The Washington Post, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was eager to see impeachment, despite his previous loyalty to the president. He has publicly stated that he has not yet made a final decision on how he will vote when it is brought before the Senate. President-elect Biden will likely be sworn in before the Senate votes. However, a conviction in the Senate means more than just a removal from office; it could prevent President Trump from holding office in the future (washingtonpost.com).

   “Trump has made noises about running for the presidency again in 2024, a prospect that alarms many Democrats and complicates the ambitions of other Republicans who envision themselves in the Oval Office. Should he be … convicted, this time, by the required two thirds supermajority in the Senate, senators could also vote to disqualify him from serving in future federal office, which would take only a simple majority,” according to Bloomberg (bloomberg.com).

   According to CBS News, Twitter has permanently banned President Trump’s personal twitter account, citing the “risk of further incitement of violence” (cbsnews.com).

   Parler, a social media app that is popular among right-wing and Trump supporters, went offline after Amazon withdrew its support, according to CNBC. Both Google and Apple have removed Parler from their app stores. The companies have released statements saying Parler will not be returned until they take adequate measures to address some of the extreme speech and threats of violence on its site. CEO of  Parler John Matze responded, “They want to keep their monopoly over speech” (cnbc.com).

   Senior Luciano Wells said, “I feel that rioting in any situation is the wrong way to seek change. It threatens our democracy and divides our nation.”