FAST FACTS

 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement about the bombing that claimed the lives of 12 U.S. service members in Kabul while issuing a warning to lawmakers not to travel to Afghanistan.

“Today, we suffered the loss of life of at least twelve U.S. servicemembers and dozens of civilians from the terrorist attack outside of the Kabul airport,” Pelosi said. “We mourn the loss of every innocent life taken, and we join every American in heartbreak over the deaths of the Americans and all killed.”

“Sadly, the gravity of the situation in Afghanistan necessitates reiterating that Members must not request or plan visits to the region,” the statement continued. ” The Departments of Defense and State have explicitly stated that Member travel to Afghanistan and surrounding countries would unnecessarily divert needed resources from the priority mission of safely and expeditiously evacuating Americans and Afghans at risk.  It should be clear that any Member presence presents a danger and an opportunity cost of resources, regardless of whatever value that Members consider they may add by such trips.”

Pelosi’s statement comes after Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton and GOP Rep. Peter Meijer, both veterans, made an unannounced trip to Kabul in a move that angered some lawmakers and Biden administrations officials.

Mike Pence@Mike_Pence

Karen and I are shocked and saddened by the loss of 11 Marines and a Navy corpsman in the terrorist attack at Kabul Airport. Our prayers are with the families of the fallen and also with the service members injured in the attack. God Bless Our Troops.

ISIS-K: What to know about Taliban rival seen as threat to Afghanistan evacuation

The United States has fought against the Taliban, al Qaeda and the Haqqani insurgent groups in Afghanistan for the last two decades, but counter-terrorism experts warn that the imminent threat ISIS-K poses could prove catastrophic. Following multiple attacks near the Kabul airport Thursday, Pentagon officials blamed ISIS, and the terror network claimed responsibility.

The group referred to as ISIS-K is the “Khorasan” branch of the Islamic State, located in Afghanistan. Khorasan is a historic name for the broader region.

The insurgent group formed after a faction within the Taliban splintered and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria – in October 2014.

Read more.

Americans likely to be left behind in Afghanistan after Kabul bombings: source

FIRST ON FOX: A source briefed on the situation in Kabul told Fox News that some Americans stranded in Afghanistan will likely be left behind after Thursday’s bombings.

The source told Fox News that “hundreds” of ISIS-K fighters remain in the vicinity of the Kabul airport and that the attacks are “likely to continue.”

“Military continues to retrograde and depart [the] airport,” the source told Fox News. “Almost a certainty that Americans will be left behind.”

Read more.

Leader McConnell@LeaderMcConnell

It is sickening and enraging to hear that at least 12 U.S. servicemembers have been killed at the hands of terrorists in Kabul. We need to redouble our global efforts to confront these barbarian enemies who want to kill Americans and attack our homeland. My full statement:

Trump issues statement on death of U.S. service members in Kabul

Former President Donald Trump issued a statement Thursday offering condolences to the families of U.S. service members who died in an explosion at Kabul’s airport.

“Melania and I send our deepest condolences to the families of our brilliant Service Members whose duty to the U.S.A. meant so much to them,” Trump said. “Our thoughts are also with the families of the innocent civilians who died today in the savage Kabul attack.”

“This tragedy should have never been allowed to happen, which makes our grief even deeper and more difficult to understand,” Trump continued.

“May God bless the U.S.A.”

Ben Shapiro@benshapiro

Hillary Clinton once wondered who Americans would want picking up the phone in a national crisis at 3 AM. With Joe Biden, nobody is picking up at 3 PM.

State confirms 500 Americans have been evacuated since yesterday, most that remain want to leave

“We have received confirmation that roughly 500 of the 1,500 Americans that we were tracking as potentially being in Afghanistan have been evacuated,” a State Department spokesperson said.

“Over the past 24 hours, we heard from an additional roughly 500 people purporting to be Americans in Afghanistan who want to leave,” the statement continued. “We immediately began attempting to reach these individuals by phone, text, and email. Based on our experience, many of these will not turn out to be U.S. citizens in need of our assistance.”

Gen. McKenzie: U.S. aircraft flying in and out of Kabul are getting shot at ‘on occasion’

McKenzie says evacuation flights will continue.

While acknowledging a “tough day,” Gen. McKenzie says the plans he has to evacuate Afghans and Americans is “designed to operate under stress.”

Gen. McKenzie just said since Aug. 14 the U.S. military has been sharing “information with the Taliban,” to prevent attacks since Aug. 14.

Gen. McKenzie: U.S. aircraft flying in and out of Kabul are getting shot at “on occasion.”

Lucas Tomlinson@LucasFoxNews

U.S. general says the threat of suicide car bomb attacks right now at Kabul airport is “high.” Gen. McKenzie says the pattern of attacks like this is for “multiple attacks.”

Lucas Tomlinson@LucasFoxNews

U.S. general: 2 ISIS suicide bombers carried out attack today outside Kabul airport. One struck Abbey Gate, another detonated outside Baron Hotel near gate. 12 U.S. military KIA, 15 wounded, but no American civilians or diplomats killed or hurt.

Harris cancels plans to campaign with Newsom, will return to D.C.

Vice President Kamala Harris has cancelled her scheduled campaign event with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and will instead return to Washington, Fox News has confirmed.

Harris was schedule to appear at a car rally with Newsom on Friday, but will instead return to the nation’s capital after her visit to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Thursday afternoon.

Top U.S. general: 12 U.S. KIA, 15 wounded in suicide attack at Kabul airport

The head of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Afghanistan says 12 U.S. service members were killed in the suicide attack outside the Kabul airport. 15 others were wounded.

Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command says two suicide bombers carried out the complex attack, which he attributed to ISIS.

McKenzie said ISIS gunmen also opened fire.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III@SecDef

On behalf of the men and women of the @deptofdefense, I express my deepest condolences to the loved ones and teammates of all those killed and wounded in Kabul today. Full statement below:

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Doug Collins@RepDougCollins

“We made clear to the Taliban that any attack, any attack on our forces or disruption of our operations at the airport will be met with a swift and forceful response,” – Joe Biden, one week ago We are waiting…Mr. President, your move.

Number of US service members killed in Afghanistan rises to 12; most are Marines

Twelve U.S. service members were killed in action in the suicide attack, officials tell Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson. Eleven were Marines and one was a Navy medic, they said.

Note:  Many more updates at the source:  Click here

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Source: https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/live-updates-taliban-gain-more-ground-in-afghanistan-as-they-close-in-on-kabul?test=38861ea43380e1402f1c90f21546ad4b

The post 13 US service members killed in Kabul airport explosion, officials say first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The former president was impeached on Jan. 13, just one week after a pro-Trump mob overtook the Capitol as Congress and former Vice President Mike Pence were certifying the results of President Biden’s win in the 2020 election.

WHEN DOES THE TRUMP IMPEACHMENT TRIAL START AND HOW DO I WATCH?

Democrats in Congress, and even some Republicans, were outraged that the former president had gathered a rally in Washington, D.C., that day where he repeated his false claims that he won the presidential election and said he did not do enough to stop the attack once his supporters began to breach the Capitol about one hour after his rally’s conclusion.

But Trump’s defenders say he is not responsible for the actions of the criminals that menaced lawmakers and attacked police, and note that later in the day he told his supporters in a Twitter video to go home.

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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As the trial begins, Trump’s lawyers are also expected to argue that the Senate can no longer constitutionally convict Trump now that he is out of office — and the House impeachment managers are expected to dispute that — in an affair that represents the finale of Trump’s tumultuous first term, even as rumors persist he may run for a second in 2024.

Here’s what you need to know about Trump’s impeachment trial.

What’s Trump accused of? 

Incitement of insurrection is the fundamental charge behind the impeachment article. But that assertion is backed up by the impeachment managers with a litany of other charges about what actions from Trump incited the insurrection and why.

In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, violent rioters, loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

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Those include that Trump lied about the results of the presidential election; that he tried to subvert the accurate and fair result of the election; and that he sent the mob of his supporters to the Capitol.

HOUSE IMPEACHMENT MANAGERS SLAM TRUMP IN FINAL PRE-TRIAL BRIEF: ‘MOST GRIEVOUS CONSTITUTIONAL CRIME EVER’

“He also willfully made statements that, in context, encouraged – and foreseeably resulted in – lawless action at the Capitol, such as: ‘if you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore,'” the impeachment article says of the Jan. 6 “Save America Rally” Trump organized.

“Thus incited by President Trump, members of the crowd he had addressed … unlawfully breached and vandalized the Capitol, injured and killed law enforcement personnel, menaced members of Congress, the vice president, and congressional personnel, and engaged in other violent, deadly, destructive and seditious acts,” it continues. The article says the mob aimed to “interfere with the joint session’s solemn constitutional duty to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.”

In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, Trump supporters gesture to U.S. Capitol Police in the hallway outside of the Senate chamber at the Capitol in Washington. Doug Jensen, an Iowa man at center, was jailed early Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, on federal charges, including trespassing and disorderly conduct counts, for his alleged role in the Capitol riot. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

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Read more about the accusations against Trump and his team’s answer to those charges HERE.

How does it work?

The trial will gavel at 1 p.m. on Tuesday with Vermont Democrat Sen. Patrick Leahy, the chamber’s president pro tempore, presiding in place of Chief Justice John Roberts. The chief justice is constitutionally required to oversee impeachments of presidents, but Roberts chose not to in this case as Trump is no longer commander-in-chief.

Vice President Harris also could have potentially presided over the trial, although senators have historically presided over impeachment proceedings when the person being tried is not the sitting president. The person overseeing the trial is not expected to substantially affect the outcome.

WHO IS SENATE PRO TEMPORE PATRICK LEAHY AND WHY IS HE PRESIDING OVER TRUMP IMPEACHMENT TRIAL?

Tuesday will see four hours of debate total, divided between the House impeachment managers and Trump’s counsel about whether the impeachment trial is constitutional. The Senate will then vote by simple majority on if the trial is constitutional, which was affirmed 55-45 in a similar vote last month. If the majority of the Senate says the trial is unconstitutional, which is not expected to be the case, then the impeachment trial would be dismissed immediately.

Chuck Schumer@SenSchumer
This impeachment trial of Donald Trump in the United States Senate will allow for truth and accountability.

The sides will then have until 9 a.m. Wednesday to file any motions, and 11 a.m. Wednesday to file responses to those motions, before the arguments on the merits of the impeachment begin at noon Wednesday. The House will present its case first, and it will be allowed up to 16 total hours of argument over the course of two days.

Then Trump’s lawyers will present their case, also up to 16 hours over two days.

As the trial is currently set up, it will pause at 5 p.m. on Friday until 2 p.m. Sunday in observance of the Jewish Sabbath, at the request of Trump lawyer David Schoen.

But Schoen withdrew that request Monday evening, saying that “I will not participate during the Sabbath; but the role I would have played will be fully covered to the satisfaction of the defense team.” He said that he did not want to delay the proceedings because “I recognize is important to bring to a conclusion for all involved and for the country.”

CAN THE SENATE STOP TRUMP RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT AGAIN?

This would mean the Senate could hold a full session on Saturday and would instead take Sunday off. The adjustment is not official yet, but Fox News is told that Schoen’s letter will likely lead the Senate to change its schedule.

After the opening arguments, senators will have four total hours to question the lawyers for each side, then there will be two hours of arguments per party on whether the Senate should bring in any witnesses, which will be followed by a simple majority vote.

Chad Pergram @ChadPergram

Replying to @ChadPergram

12) At the end of that process, the Senate shall listen to closing arguments between both sides. Four hours total are allocated to this, equally divided between the managers and the President’s defense counsel.

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If the senators do not hear witnesses, it is likely the trial would wrap up by some time next week. If senators do vote to hear witnesses, then that will open up the possibility that the trial could drag on for much longer than anticipated.

Both sides would be allowed depositions and “discovery.” The Senate would then decide which witnesses to hear testimony from. No witnesses can testify until they are first deposed, which would likely happen outside of the Senate floor.

The Senate will also take a vote as to whether it should consider evidence.

After the evidence and witnesses process, whether the Senate votes to hear evidence and witnesses, there will be two hours for the Trump legal team and the House impeachment managers to present closing arguments. Then there will be a vote on whether to convict the former president, which would require a two-thirds supermajority.

Who are the impeachment managers? 

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., leads a team of House impeachment managers that also includes Diana DeGette, D-Colo.; David Cicilline, D-R.I.; Joaquin Castro, D-Texas; Eric Swalwell, D-Calif.; Ted Lieu, D-Calif.; Joe Neguse, D-Colo.; Madeleine Dean, D-Pa.; and nonvoting Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands.

Raskin is a member of the House Oversight Committee, the House Rules Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.

Impeachment manager Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., walks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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He penned a letter to Trump’s legal team this week urging him to testify before, or as part of, his Senate trial. Trump’s legal team denied the request, saying they would not take part in an “unconstitutional” process.

Swalwell, meanwhile, has run into controversy recently

TRUMP LAWYERS RAIL AGAINST IMPEACHMENT TRIAL AS ‘POLITICAL THEATER’ ON EVE OF PROCEEDINGS

Learn more about the impeachment managers prosecuting the case against Trump HERE.

Who is on Trumps’ defense team? 

The two lead lawyers on Trump’s defense team are Bruce Castor, the former district attorney for Montgomery County, Pa., and David Schoen, a longtime civil rights attorney who is the chairman of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Criminal Justice Subcommittee. Schoen was also honored for his pro bono work in 1995 by the ABA and was honored for public interest litigation in 2018 by Boston College Law School, his alma mater.

Schoen has ties to former Trump associate Roger Stone, who he represented as he was sentenced to 40 months in prison for witness tampering and other charges in early 2020. And he was one of the final people to meet with Jeffrey Epstein before his death.

Schoen said that Epstein planned to bring him onto his legal team and that he does not believe Epstein killed himself.

“I saw him a few days earlier,” said Schoen on Fox Nation’s “Deep Dive” last year. “The reason I say I don’t believe it was suicide is for my interaction with him that day. The purpose of asking me to come there that day and over the past previous couple of weeks was to ask me to take over his defense.”

Attorney David Schoen speaks to the media, Wednesday, Jan. 6, Schoen is a civil rights lawyer who is on former President Trump’s legal team for his impeachment trial. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP) MAGS OUT (AP)

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Castor, according to NBC Philadelphia, recently joined the personal injury firm van der Veen, O’Neill, Hartshorn, and Levin, and joined Trump’s team after getting the permission of the firm’s founding partner, Michael T. van der Veen.

DEM SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY ON TRUMP TRIAL: NOT ‘RIDICULOUS’ FOR GOP TO ARGUE IT’S UNCONSTITUTIONAL

But van der Veen appears to have joined the Trump legal team as well, signing on to the Trump pretrial brief submitted Monday. It’s unclear what role, if any, he may play at Trump’s trial. But the Wall Street Journal reports that van der Veen and Castor will play a larger role in the trial after Tuesday, when Schoen is expected to lead the defense’s case.

Learn more about Schoen HERE.

Learn more about Castor HERE.

Is the impeachment trial constitutional? 

It depends on who you ask.

Republicans tend to say that the trial is unonstitutional, citing the fact that Trump is now out of office and that impeachment trials for presidents need the chief justice of the United States to preside — and Chief Justice John Roberts will not be there.

Democrats say the trial is constitutional, citing the 1876 trial of former Secretary of War William Belknap, which occurred after he left office. Belknap was acquitted. They also say that a trial is constitutional because there is still a consequence the Senate can level even if it can no longer remove Trump from office — a ban on holding office in the future.

Either way, most scholars, regardless of their opinion, say whether the trial is constitutional is still an open question, as there’s never before been a trial of a former president, and no court has ruled on the issue.

“I admit this is, of course, a matter of first impression and so I don’t think the case that Sen. Paul is making is a ridiculous one,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said on “Fox News Sunday” of Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul’s argument that the trial is unconstitutional.

And even if Trump’s defense team asked the federal courts for a ruling on this issue, it’s extraordinarily unlikely any court would step in to tell the Senate how to run its business. So the decision of whether the trial is constitutional is basically up to senators.

What are the chances Trump is convicted? 

Extraordinarily slim.

Paul last month raised a point of order in the Senate claiming that an impeachment trial of a former president is unconstitutional. That forced a vote on the issue, and 45 of the 50 Senate Republicans voted that the trial is unconstitutional.

That means the trial was upheld as constitutional by a vote of 55-45. But it also means 12 Republicans would have to change their minds about whether the trial is even allowed to happen for the Senate to have any shot of convicting Trump.

Besides that, there are political calculations at play. A vote to convict Trump is essentially an invitation for a Trump-backed primary challenge for any Republican. And the general perception within the GOP is that even if Republican elected officials have a distaste for Trump — as shown by Wyoming GOP Rep. Liz Cheney’s resounding victory in a vote of confidence under secret ballot last week — that the party base is still loyal to the former president.

Going on the record against Trump is a massive political risk for any Republican.

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What happens if Trump is convicted? 

However unlikely a conviction is at this point, it could still carry some consequences for the former president.

Though the main point of impeachment is to remove a person from office if convicted, a person can also be barred from holding office in the future. If Democrats do get the 67 votes they need to convict Trump of inciting an insurrection, then they plan to hold a subsequent vote on barring Trump from office in the future. That would only need a simple majority to pass.

If this does happen, Trump could theoretically challenge the constitutionality of the Senate trial in court in the future, aiming to get back his right to run for office. An after-the-fact challenge to the consequences of conviction is likely the only way a court would weigh in on this impeachment.

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Fox News’ Brooke Singman, Jason Donner, Chad Pergram, and Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.

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Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trumps-impeachment-trial-everything-you-need-to-know

[Disclaimer]

The post Trump’s impeachment trial: Everything you need to know first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy “is expected to preside” over the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, a Senate source told Fox News on Monday, signaling that Chief Justice John Roberts will not be forced to oversee the politically charged arguments now that Trump is out of office.

The source said Leahy, the president pro tempore of the Senate, would preside instead of the chief justice because senators usually fill that role when the impeached individual is not the current president of the United States. A separate government source confirmed that Roberts will not participate in the impeachment trial.

Leahy, D-Vt., confirmed that he will preside over the trial in a statement Monday.

“The president pro tempore has historically presided over Senate impeachment trials of non-presidents. When presiding over an impeachment trial, the president pro tempore takes an additional special oath to do impartial justice according to the Constitution and the laws,” Leahy said. “It is an oath that I take extraordinarily seriously.”

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 22: U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) speaks as Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) listens during a news conference in front of the U.S. Capitol after a boycott of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court on October 22, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

He added: “I consider holding the office of the president pro tempore and the responsibilities that come with it to be one of the highest honors and most serious responsibilities of my career.  When I preside over the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, I will not waver from my constitutional and sworn obligations to administer the trial with fairness, in accordance with the Constitution and the laws.”

Politico last week reported that Roberts “wants no further part” in overseeing an impeachment after he presided over Trump’s impeachment trial one year ago.

During that trial, Democrats pressured Roberts to get involved against the former president, including an instance in which Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., asked Roberts whether he was harming the Supreme Court’s legitimacy because Republicans wouldn’t allow witnesses. And Trump himself habitually attacked Roberts on Twitter while he was in office.

Roberts is known for his desire to preserve the institutional integrity of the Supreme Court as a neutral arbiter that calls “balls and strikes.” He often will lead coalitions on the court to rule narrowly on hot-button issues, deciding merely the case in front of the justices without announcing broader proclamations that some of his fellow justices would like.

Chief Justice John Roberts smiles for the cameras as the nine members of the Supreme Court pose for a new group photograph on October, 08, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

TRUMP IMPEACHMENT ARTICLE BEING SENT TO SENATE MONDAY

The chief justice of the United States is constitutionally required to oversee impeachment trials of sitting presidents. But it’s not clear whether the chief justice is required to oversee a trial of a former president. That Roberts will not oversee the upcoming trial is evidence that he and top Senate leaders do not believe he must be there for the body to hold a legitimate trial of a former president.

The news that Leahy will preside over the trial of Trump also means that Vice President Kamala Harris will also not. CNN first reported that Leahy will preside. Harris has a constitutional role as the president of the Senate and is expected to be highly involved in the upcoming Congress in order to break ties on votes that fall along party lines — the Senate is currently split evenly with 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and two independents who caucus with Democrats.

In almost all cases, the vice president and the Senate president pro tempore are interchangeable as far as who oversees Senate business. The job of Senate president pro tempore goes to the most senior member of the majority party — Leahy has been in office for more than 46 years.

The person who presides over the Senate trial of Trump is unlikely to have a substantive effect on the proceedings but will affect the optics of the event.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and his wife Marcelle, arrive for the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. ((AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool))

House impeachment managers will deliver the impeachment articles to the Senate at 7 p.m. Monday night, officially triggering the start of the trial. But a deal reached between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will allow both the impeachment managers and Trump’s legal team the opportunity to submit what are essentially pre-trial briefs over a period of a couple of weeks.

The meat and potatoes of the trial, when Leahy will be presiding over arguments on the floor from both sides, will not start until Feb. 9.

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The House impeached Trump this month after a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol while lawmakers and former Vice President Mike Pence were meeting in a joint session to certify President Biden’s electoral victory on Jan. 6.

Trump held a rally earlier that day at which he doubled-down on months of false claims that he won the presidential election and encouraged rallygoers to march to the Capitol “peacefully and patriotically.” At the same rally, his most vocal supporters used harsh rhetoric, including lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who said “let’s have trial by combat.”

It’s highly unlikely that Trump could be convicted at a Senate trial, as 17 Republicans would need to join all 50 Democrats to reach the two-thirds threshold. But if Trump is convicted, he could be barred from holding office in the future by a simple majority on a subsequent vote.

Fox News’ Jason Donner and Bill Mears contributed to this report.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/leahy-to-preside-over-senate-impeachment-trial

The post Leahy expected to preside over Trump impeachment trial instead of Chief Justice Roberts first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

House Democrats introduced an impeachment resolution against President Trump on Monday for incitement of an “insurrection,” just days after the Capitol riot, saying he warrants impeachment, trial, and “removal from office.”

Democratic Reps. Ted Lieu, David Cicilline, Jamie Raskin, and Jerrold Nadler introduced the article of impeachment, charging the president with violating his oath of office.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Monday that the House “will move forward with bringing impeachment legislation to the Floor.”

“The President’s threat to America is urgent, and so too will be our action,” Pelosi said.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, later, said the House would meet at 9 a.m. on Wednesday to consider the article of impeachment.

HOUSE DEMOCRATS’ QUICK 25TH AMENDMENT PUSH URGING PENCE TO REMOVE TRUMP BLOCKED BY REPUBLICANS

The post House Democrats introduce Trump impeachment resolution claiming president incited ‘insurrection’ first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

House Republicans blocked quick consideration of a bill calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office amid fallout from last week’s Capitol riot.

Democrats asked for consideration of a bill calling on Pence to mobilize the 25th Amendment, but Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.V., objected Monday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she would bring the bill to the floor if the unanimous consent request was blocked.

“The President represents an imminent threat to our Constitution, our Country, and the American people, and he must be removed from office immediately,” Pelosi said in a statement Monday, noting that House Republicans rejected the legislation, and claimed they were “enabling the President’s unhinged, unstable and deranged acts of sedition to continue.”

“Their complicity endangers America, erodes our Democracy, and it must end,” she said.

Pelosi announced that the House would take up the legislation, and said House Democrats are “further calling on the Vice President to respond within 24 hours after passage.”

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Monday announced on a call with the House Democratic Caucus that lawmakers should plan to return to Washington for Tuesday to consider the resolution, introduced by Rep. Jamie Raskin, regarding the 25th Amendment. Hoyer said votes will be at 7:30 p.m. at the earliest Tuesday.

The calls for Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment come from top Democrats in both chambers of Congress.

BIDEN AVOIDS FIRM POSITION ON IMPEACHMENT

Last week, Schumer and other Democrats urged Pence to “immediately” invoke the 25th Amendment, calling it the “quickest and most effective way” to remove Trump from office.

Schumer, though, warned that if Pence and the Cabinet did not take that path, Congress could “reconvene to impeach the president.”

The 25th Amendment includes a section allowing the vice president and a majority of Cabinet members to declare a president “unable” to perform the job.

Vice President Mike Pence officiates as a joint session of the House and Senate reconvenes to confirm the Electoral College votes at the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan 6, 2021. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

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President Trump said Friday he “will not be going to the Inauguration” of President-elect Joe Biden — an extraordinary move that will make him the first to skip the inaugural ceremony of his successor since 1869.

“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,” the president tweeted.

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Vice President Mike Pence, who had announced he would not overturn the will of voters, confirmed the Biden victory at 3:41 a.m. ET.

Lawmakers had returned to the chamber in an act of defiance, with some Republicans who initially vowed to challenge states’ results due to voter fraud concerns announcing they’d instead vote to certify.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called the breach of the Capitol a “failed insurrection,” adding that those who “tried to disrupt our democracy” had not succeeded.

“The United States and the Senate will not be intimidated,” he tweeted. “We are back at our posts. We will discharge our duty under the Constitution for our nation. And we are going to do it tonight.”

McConnell announced earlier that once the Senate voted 92-7 to reject the Republican effort to overturn Pennsylvania’s vote, the path would be clear for Biden to claim the White House on Jan. 20.

Despite growing support among Republicans to challenge the election result, the effort was always seen to have little chance of success.

PELOSI’S OFFICE STORMED DURING CHAOS

Dan Scavino, the White House deputy chief of staff, posted a statement from President Trump on Twitter that seemed to call for calm among Americans and demonstrate a functioning government for adversaries.

“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” the statement read. “I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!”

In closing prayer to Jt Session of Congress, Senate Chaplain Barry Black says that “words matter” and speaks about the “quagmire” of today’s bedlam at the Capitol. Says members need to fight against “all enemies, domestic and foreign”

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The political fallout from Wednesday’s mayhem seemed to cast serious doubt on President Trump’s future as leader of the Republican Party. Sen Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican, addressed the Senate, saying Trump has been a “consequential” president over four years in office “but today … count me out. Enough is enough.”

Dan Scavino@DanScavino

Statement by President Donald J. Trump on the Electoral Certification: “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th. I have always said we would continue our…

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Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who is projected to lose her runoff in Georgia against the Rev. Raphael Warnock, was among the senators who said they’d changed their minds about challenging Biden’s win.

“When I arrived in Washington this morning, I fully intended to object to the certification of the electoral votes,” Loeffler, R-Ga., said in remarks from the Senate floor. “However, the events that have transpired today have forced me to reconsider and I cannot now, in good conscience, object.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., also announced she would vote to certify the results.

There seemed to be a sense of sadness among lawmakers as it got later into the night. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told reporters it was probably one of the saddest days he had experienced as an elected official.

“What normally would have been a tradition in the step towards the peaceful transition of power from one administration to another was marred by violence, thugs, misinformation and clearly should never have happened in the first place,” he said.

COTTON CALLS ON TRUMP TO ‘QUIT MISLEADING’ SUPPORTERS 

Detractors of the president criticized him for stoking anger among his supporters and said a violent incident was inevitable. They say the president has been pushing the false narrative about election interference for the past month and his presidency was bound to end in chaos.

Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram temporarily suspended the president from posting on to their platforms. The Associated Press reported that it was the most aggressive action social media companies had yet taken against the president.

JONATHAN TURLEY: TRUMP’S LEGACY ‘IN TATTERS’ AFTER SUPPORTERS RIOT AT CAPITOL

Trump’s supporters noted the president had called for calm. They say Trump never had his day in court and there were enough voting irregularities to warrant further inspection. They also criticized the media coverage of the unrest at the Capitol and criticized news outlets to essentially turning a blind eye to the violence that broke out in major cities last summer.

Donald Trump Jr. also called for calm in an earlier tweet.

“This is wrong and not who we are,” he wrote. “Be peaceful and use your 1st Amendment rights, but don’t start acting like the other side. We have a country to save and this doesn’t help anyone.”

Washington D.C. police said at a news conference late Wednesday that there were four deaths—including a woman who was fatally shot — and at least 52 arrests during the day’s disruption.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat who has clashed with Trump, ordered an extension of the public emergency that was already in place for the next 15 days, which will overlap with Biden’s inauguration.

The woman who was shot was Ashi Babbitt, a U.S. Air Force veteran from San Diego, Calif., a friend told Fox News. D.C. police confirmed she had been shot by one of their officers.

The other three deaths were medical-related, reports said.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News last Sunday that the Supreme Court was a “better forum” than Congress for vetting election concerns but the court did not take the cases.

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Cruz wanted a 10-day audit of the results by an electoral commission.

“Voter fraud has posed a persistent challenge in our elections, although its breadth and scope are disputed,” lawmakers said Saturday in a statement.

“By any measure, the allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes,” Cruz said.

The senator condemned those who stormed the Capitol in a Twitter post. He said the Constitution “protects peaceful protest, but violence — from Left or Right – is ALWAYS wrong.”

He issued a statement early Thursday that called the incident a “despicable act of terrorism and a shocking assault on our democratic system.” He said he called for the electoral commission to give millions of Americans confidence in the election and “very much wish Congress had not set aside these concerns.”

But he said he respected their positions.

“Debate in the two houses of Congress is the proper way to resolve our political differences, not through violent attacks,” he said.

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Fox News’ Chad Pergram, Brie Stimson, and David Aaro contributed to this report

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Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/congress-certifies-bidens-electoral-college-victory-after-day-of-chaos-at-capitol

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