The House of Representatives have passed an article of impeachment against Donald Trump for the second time
Sydney Carpenter | News Editor
On Jan. 13, the United States House of Representatives passed Article 1 of their resolution bill, which called to impeach former President Donald Trump for incitement of insurrection.
The article, drafted by Minnesota’s 5th District Representative Ilhan Omar, came a day after the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol Building in the District of Columbia. The raid by far-right extremists resulted in five deaths ⏤ four Trump supporters and one police officer.
A press release statement by Chief of Police Steven Sund reported more than 50 United States Capitol Building Police and Metropolitan Police officers had been hospitalized for serious injuries.
Media outlets livestreamed the altercation with police, capturing rioters breaking windows and stealing government property. Simultaneously, groups across the country were organized to raid each state’s Capitol Building to protest election certification after weeks of Trump voicing his beliefs of an illegitimate election.
In Salem on Jan. 6, Oregon State Police declared an unlawful assembly after around 100 far-right extremists gathered to protest the election certification. The protest ended in the arrest of two demonstrators.
In the days leading up to the House’s vote, a total of 14 media outlets suspended or restricted Trump’s presence online. Parler, the platform known for its conservative content, has been removed from the Apple App Store and Amazon has suspended hosting Parler on its servers citing promotion of violent content.
The Jan. 13 vote for impeachment resulted in 10 republicans breaking party lines and voting for impeachment.
“(Impeachment is) going a step too far,” said Oregon Trump voter Al Ashcroft during a Jan. 18 protest. “You don’t need to pick a fight, and that to me is picking a fight.”
Ashcroft explained he doesn’t approve of Trump’s incitement or claims of voter fraud.
“Show him the door,” said Ashcroft. “He’s gone, let him go.”
Counter protesters at a peaceful gathering on Jan. 18 agreed with the House.
“We’re trying to hold him (Trump) accountable,” said Salem resident Kelly Johnston , “but if we can’t do it in the Senate then I don’t know. Without accountability there is no unity, period.”
Locally, some Oregon officials support Congress on the article of impeachment.
“It shows that our federal government is willing and recognizes that it is unacceptable behavior,” said newly elected State Representative Wlynsvey Campos of House District 28. “That is not how the leader of this country should act.”
However, Campos acknowledges that even with an impeachment, it will not resolve all issues.
“We can’t just say with the inauguration of President-Elect Biden that it suddenly makes everything good again,” explained Campos. “These last four years have shown that there’s quite a division in this country and we need to be putting in the work to make sure folks are coming together.”
The story will be updated as more information is released.
UPDATE (JAN. 26TH, 2021 @ 8:54 PM)
The Senate has announced it will begin the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump during the week of Feb. 8.
According to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, this decision gave the house managers and defense time to prepare. After the article is voted on, Trump is expected to respond by Feb. 2. At this time, Senate Party leaders have not estimated how long the trial will run; Trump’s first impeachment trial lasted around 21 days.
As a result of the delayed start, the Demoratic Party is projected to use the time to swear in more of President Biden’s Cabinet members, according to an article written by The Hill. As stated by cnn.com, the Senate has approved four Cabinet members as of Jan. 26.
Contact the author at scarpenter18@mail.wou.edu
