Trump Is Impeached a 2nd Time—a Presidential First

House votes 232-197 to impeach
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 13, 2021 3:31 PM CST
President Trump Is Impeached a 2nd Time
In this Jan. 6, 2021, photo, President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally in Washington.   (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

There were 130 years between the first and second presidential impeachments in American history—and 13 months between the third and fourth. A majority of House members on Wednesday voted to support a a single article of impeachment charging President Trump with "incitement of insurrection," making Trump the first president to be impeached twice, the AP reports. Roll Call points out the second impeachment differed from the first in that it had bipartisan support, with 10 Republicans, including No. 3 House Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, joining House Democrats. In Trump's first impeachment, three Democrats broke with their party, but Democrats were unified this time. The final vote Wednesday was 232 to 197.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—the first speaker to oversee two impeachment efforts—said in a floor speech before the vote that Trump is a "clear and present danger to the nation we all love." "We know we experienced the insurrection that violated the sanctity of the people's Capitol," Pelosi said, per the Hill. "And we know that the president of the United States incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion, against our common country." House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy argued that while Trump should "accept responsibility" for his role in the violence, a "vote to impeach would further divide this nation," Politico reports. The next step will be a trial in the Senate, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he won't bring senators back early for a trial before Trump's term ends next week. (More Trump impeachment stories.)

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