2nd Trump Impeachment: How Arizona's House Delegation Voted

WASHINGTON — U.S. representatives from Arizona split along party lines in impeaching President Donald Trump on a charge that he incited the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week. The House voted 232-197 in favor, making Trump the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice.

10 Republicans joined Democrats in impeaching the president.

The historic House vote took place a week after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a siege that resulted in five deaths — including the beating death of a Capitol Police officer, multiple arrests and a sprawling FBI investigation. The impeachment comes a week before President-elect Joe Biden is to be inaugurated in a city on high alert amid ongoing threats of violence.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Greg Santon spoke in favor of impeachment on the House floor ahead of the vote.

"It is a shocking betrayal of his oath of office, and our American values," he said. "We don't know yet if the president will face criminal charges. But we do know he must be held to account."

U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, a Republican and a staunch Trump supporter, was the first of Arizona’s House delegation to speak in opposition of the motion.

“I urge you, please do not — I’m mixing metaphors here — attempt to douse the remaining burning embers of this movement with gasoline. No one wants that. I urge you please to reconsider the reckless action in which you engage today,” he said.

Here’s how Arizona's delegation voted on the impeachment:

Rep. Tom O'Halleran (D-AZ): YES

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ): NO

Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ): NO

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ): YES

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ): YES

Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ): NO

Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ): YES

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ): YES

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ): NO

What's Next: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will not allow the Senate to vote to convict Trump — which would have been an extraordinary turn by a Republican leader who has defended and protected Trump during the four years of his tumultuous presidency.

• If an impeachment trial is allowed in the Senate, it will be after Biden is inaugurated, McConnell said Wednesday. McConnell has reportedly said he believes Trump committed impeachable offenses, and that moving forward with a vote would make it easier for Republicans to purge Trumpism from their party, but said Wednesday he intends to “listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate.”

• Biden has suggested the Senate could “bifurcate” — that is spend half of the day confirming his Cabinet nominees and the other half on impeachment matters.

• Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking member of the House Republican leadership, is among more than two dozen Republicans who signaled they would break from their party and vote to impeach Trump.

"There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution," Cheney said in a statement Tuesday.

Trial In The Senate: Two-thirds of the chamber would have to vote to convict Trump. The Senate exonerated Trump last year on charges of abuse of power and contempt of Congress after special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, but the charge against Trump this time is more clear-cut.

Under the Constitution, the Senate could prevent him from holding federal office again and strip him of other perks afforded to former presidents.

As lawmakers debated the need for and grave potential consequence of impeaching Trump for a second time, the FBI warned of armed protests in the days ahead of Biden’s inauguration. Statehouses in all 50 states have been targeted for protests and Arizona's Capitol increased security following Wednesday's riots. The agency is also monitoring chatter on an encrypted messaging platform about plans by Trump extremists to form perimeters around the Capitol, the White House and the Supreme Court building as Biden takes the oath of office.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety and the FBI both confirmed to Patch that authorities are monitoring any potential violence ahead of the inauguration. DPS would not discuss any security details but said it has added fencing around the Arizona Capitol.

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