Politics & Government

2nd Trump Impeachment: See How Your Representative Voted

The House of Representatives has taken the unprecedented move of impeaching a president for a second time.

PARSIPPANY, NJ - The House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump on Wednesday, making him as the only president to receive the rebuke twice. And U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill, of NJ District 11, voted yes.

The final House vote was 232-197 in favor of impeachment.

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

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Speaking in a social media broadcast Tuesday night, Sherrill laid out the impeachment charge.

"It’s just one. And it’s very clear, incitement of insurrection, and it reads, in part, that in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, Donald John Trump engaged in high crimes and misdemeanors by inciting violence against the government of the United States,” she said.

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Sherrill voting to impeach, for a second time in 13 months, is not surprising. The Democrat has been a vocal critic of Trump throughout her first term in office. And in her Facebook live statement noted Trump's disparagement of the military, something the former Navy pilot took exception to.

Sherrill, a former federal prosecutor, also said that impeaching Trump would help safeguard America in the long term.

"I think he should have already resigned, due to his recent actions," Sherrill said. "We need to make sure he doesn't have access to intelligence because I believe this president will use it for personal gain."

Last Wednesday's mayhem overwhelmed Capitol Police, who evacuated members of Congress as violence escalated. The legislators were meeting to accept the electoral college results certifying Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. All told, five people died in the insurrection, including Capitol Hill Police Officer and New Jersey native Brian Sicknick who died from injuries sustained engaging with protesters.

So far, the FBI has charged 18 of the rioters with felonies in an investigation that could become one of the largest ever undertaken by the agency. About 40 others have been charged in state and local jurisdictions. About 120 people have been either arrested or identified as riot participants through photos and videos, The Hill reported. An AP analysis of social media posts, voter registrations and court files show most are known longtime Trump supporters.

Sherrill also noted in her address that congressional members led people through the Capitol the day before the riot, which she called a "reconnaissance" tour. Read More: NJ Rep. Sherrill: Congressional Members Gave Rioters Capitol Tour

For her part, Sherrill did not specify what groups she saw in the Capitol or which of her colleagues were involved. She did however, say that the actions were a threat.

"We can't have a democracy if members of Congress are actively helping the president overturn the elections results," she said.

The next stage of the impeachment would be a trial in the Senate. As the upper chamber is not in session, it will most likely begin during Biden's inauguration week.

To be removed from office, Trump would need to be convicted by the Senate. If that occurs, the Senate could also vote to make him ineligible to run for office again. Read More On Patch: The Latest On Impeachment As More Violence, Assassinations Threatened

At least five House Republicans, including Liz Cheney of Wyoming, had planned to vote in favor of impeachment before Wednesday’s proceedings began, according to reports from CNN and others.

Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, said Trump “summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of the attack.”

“Everything that followed was his doing,” she said. “None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not."

Rep. Jason Smith, a Republican from Missouri, however, called this a “reckless impeachment,” while speaking from the House Floor Wednesday morning. He argues this will only serve to divide Americans even more.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted in favor of a resolution asking Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and assume the duties of the president in the final week before President-elect Joe Biden takes office Jan. 20. But Pence, in a letter addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said he would not invoke the 25th Amendment.

You can view Sherrill's the entire address below.


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