American elections: the text that triggered the fall of Donald Trump unveiled

Amid last Wednesday’s violent attack on the United States Capitol, a text message with the power to make history was sent to all Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee.

At 3:09 p.m. – just over an hour after violent pro-Trump protesters climbed the exterior steps of the Capitol and passed the barricades – Rep. Ted Lieu wrote that the committee “should start writing articles of impeachment. now anyway. management says “.

“We have seen the consequences of being weak against Trump and not holding him accountable in recent months. If we do nothing but send out heavily worded press releases, then we are complicit in the abuse. justice and our Constitution, ”the message read. Lily.

The answer received by the Democrat – who, like many of his colleagues, always took refuge in an office on Capitol Hill – was unanimous: Impeach.

“As much as our goal at the time was to return to Capitol Hill, we also recognized that we had just been attacked and that it was not just an attack on our country. It was an attack instigated by the leader of our country, ”Representative Eric Swalwell told the Los Angeles Times.

“The consensus was that we had just been attacked, we cannot let it continue to inspire attacks like this.”

Today, a little over a week later and a few days before his departure, Donald Trump has become the first American president in history to be impeached twice, this time for “incitement to insurgency”.

“We know that the President of the United States instigated this insurgency, this armed rebellion, against our common country,” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said before the vote began.

“He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation we all love.”

When the impeachment article was passed – by a margin of 232-197, with 10 of those favoring Republicans – Pelosi said he confirmed that “no one is above the law, not even the president of the United States”.

“And now, sadly and with a broken heart for what it means for our country, of a president who incites insurgency, I will sign the gist of the impeachment article.”

Lieu, one of the many Californians who played a key role in the impeachment, immediately began writing the article with Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island during the long chaotic hours when the rioters descended.

Joined by Judicial Commission staff, including representative of constitutional law expert Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the final text says Trump “threatened the integrity of the democratic system, hindered the peaceful transition of power and endangered an equal branch of government ”.

“He thus betrayed his confidence as president, to the obvious prejudice of the people of the United States,” we can read.

When the group that had worked on the four-page text approached Pelosi, “she was determined enough to make it clear that the president couldn’t stay in power,” Swalwell told the LA Times.

Pelosi, who he said presented all options to remove Trump – censorship, impeachment and 25th Amendment – told her caucus on Friday afternoon that she would have preferred Trump to step down or Vice President Mike Pence invokes the latter option.

But as the days following the attack unfolded and more details emerged – and Pence confirmed he would not invoke the 25th Amendment – the 2019 impeachment official for Trump, Rep. Adam Schiff, said it only fueled the ire of politicians, allowing the impeachment decision to gain traction.

“It was a situation where, with each day after the next, people’s resolve got bigger and bigger,” he told the publication.

“The magnitude of the evil he created has been revealed more and more graphically every day.”

As Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell admitted this morning that there was “no chance” that the next trial in his chamber could be completed before President-elect Joe Biden was inaugurated on the 20th. In January, multiple sources said there was more support within the House Democratic caucus alone than there was in 2019 to do the job.

“What happened this time was in full view,” San Jose Rep. Zoe Lofgren told the LA Times, adding that a lengthy hearing process would not be necessary.

“I mean, he instigated a host of right-wing insurgents to come and overthrow the constitutional government a week ago. You don’t need a long investigation to find out.”