Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said the House will move to impeach Trump for the second time is he is not removed from office.
- United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said Democrats will introduce a resolution on Monday calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Donald Trump from office.
- If Pence does not comply, Pelosi said Democrats will introduce an Article of Impeachment against Trump for his role in inciting a deadly riot.
- Trump remains banned from all major social media accounts in the wake of the riot, which left five dead, including a Capitol Police officer.
- Several Republicans have joined Democrats in calling for Trump’s resignation or removal, while party brass have said impeachment would sow further division.
Here’s Al Jazeera’s coverage of the US elections. This is Joseph Stepansky.
Army investigates officer who participated in Trump rally before riot
The US Army is investigating a psychological operations officer who led a group of people from North Carolina to the rally in Washington, DC that led up to the deadly riot in the US Capitol by supporters of Trump.
Commanders at Fort Bragg are reviewing Captain Emily Rainey’s involvement in last week’s events in the nation’s capital, but she said she acted within military regulations and that no one in her group broke the law.
“I was a private citizen and doing everything right and within my rights,†Rainey told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Rainey said she led 100 members of Moore County Citizens for Freedom, which describes itself online as a nonpartisan network promoting conservative values, to the Washington rally to “stand against election fraud†and support Trump. She said she didn’t know of anyone who entered the Capitol and that they were headed back to their buses hours before an emergency curfew took effect.
Rainey, 30, is assigned to the 4th Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg, according to Major Daniel Lessard, a spokesman for 1st Special Forces Command. Known as PSYOPS, the group uses information and misinformation to shape the emotions, decision-making and actions of American adversaries.
Read more here.
First lady condemns Capitol violence, ‘salacious gossip’ surrounding the event
First Lady Melania Trump on Monday broke her silence on last week’s violence when rioters loyal to her husband, outgoing President Donald Trump, stormed the Capitol.
“I am disappointed and disheartened with what happened last week,†she said in a lengthy statement. “It is inspiring to see that so many have found a passion and enthusiasm in participating in an election, but we must not allow that passion to turn to violence.â€
She added that her heart went out to those who had died since the attack, first naming the deceased rioters and then two Capitol Police officers, one who died Thursday and one who died Saturday.
The first lady condemned the violence, but did not reference her husband’s role in riling up supporters with false claims of election fraud and egging them on to march to the Capitol, but decried “salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations†she said have surrounded the incident.
She did not specify the gossip to which she referred.
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) January 11, 2021
‘We’ll act with urgency’: Pelosi says House will impeach Trump
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday that the House will go ahead with impeachment proceedings against President Trump as she pushes Vice President Mike Pence to invoke constitutional authority to remove Trump from office following last week’s deadly assault on the Capitol.
On Monday, Pelosi’s leadership team will seek a vote on a resolution calling on the vice president and Cabinet officials to invoke the 25th Amendment, a constitutional provision that allows the vice president and the Cabinet to remove the president from office if they deem him unable to perform his duties.
Pence and the Cabinet would have 24 hours to act before the House would move towards impeachment.
“We will act with urgency, because this President represents an imminent threat,†Pelosi said in a letter late on Sunday to colleagues. “The horror of the ongoing assault on our democracy perpetrated by this President is intensified and so is the immediate need for action.â€
Read more here.
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