WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) said she intends to officially introduce articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Monday.
Omar first announced her intention to draw up articles of impeachment Wednesday after an unprecedented breach of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters.
"Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate," Omar wrote Wednesday on Twitter. "We can’t allow him to remain in office, it’s a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath."
Omar revealed the Articles of Impeachment in a Twitter post on Thursday morning, co-sponsored by several House Democratic colleagues, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), Rep. Al Green (D-TX), Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), Rep. Vicente González (D-TX), Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY).
On Sunday, Omar announced her intention to formally introduce the Articles of Impeachment.
"I will officially introduce two articles of impeachment against Donald J. Trump tomorrow," she wrote on Twitter. "1) Abuse of power for attempting to overturn the election results in Georgia. 2) Incitement of violence for orchestrating an attempted coup against our country."
On Sunday, according to the Associated Press, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House will proceed with legislation to impeach President Donald Trump, calling him a threat to democracy after the deadly assault on the Capitol. Pelosi made the announcement Sunday in a letter to colleagues.
"Every single hour that Donald Trump remains in office, our country, our democracy, and our national security remain in danger," read a note from Omar to potential co-sponsors. "Congress must take immediate action to keep the people of this country safe and set a precedent that such behavior cannot be tolerated."
On Wednesday, Omar was one of many lawmakers at the Capitol when a pro-Trump protest escalated into a breach of the Capitol building. Pictures emerged of Trump supporters inside the Senate chamber, and a woman was shot and killed.
President Trump himself later issued a brief video tweet telling his supporters to go home, while continuing to generate false allegations that the election was stolen from them.
The breach forced a halt to congressional deliberations over challenges to Joe Biden's Electoral College victory. Senators were being evacuated. Some House lawmakers tweeted they were sheltering in place in their offices.
"Running for our lives as Members of Congress in the United States is really devastating and totally shocking," Omar tweeted, adding that she was "safe, but heartbroken."
Other calls for impeachment came from Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), who wrote on Twitter that Trump "has been encouraging these domestic terrorists since before the election."
"The Cabinet must remove him today or the House must impeach," Wexton wrote.
Another lawmaker, U.S. Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), expressed conditional support for impeachment.
"Vice President Pence can help put down this attempted coup if he wants to," Cicilline wrote. "I’m circulating a letter urging him to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. If he doesn’t, then Congress should go ahead and impeach the President."
This is far from the first time calls for impeachment have been raised during the Trump presidency. Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives earlier in his term, but was later acquitted in his Senate impeachment trial.
Only a simple majority vote is required to impeach someone in the House, but a two-thirds majority Senate vote is required to convict. A second impeachment is far from guaranteed, with Trump's term ending in just 14 days.
Regardless, calls for impeachment came Wednesday from lawmakers, public figures, and major media op-eds.
