Pelosi lays out next steps as momentum builds for impeachment
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday laid out the next steps in the bid to remove President Trump from office in the wake of the assault on the U.S. Capitol. The White House, meanwhile, said Mr. Trump is set to travel to the U.S.-Mexico border on Tuesday and will resume official duties amid the firestorm.
Pelosi said Congress on Monday will move on a motion brought by Congressman Jamie Raskin that calls on Vice President Mike Pence to convene the Cabinet to invoke the 25th amendment to remove Mr. Trump from office.
If Pence does not respond, Pelosi said the House will proceed with articles of impeachment, which have been drafted but have not yet been introduced.
In an interview with "60 Minutes," Pelosi said although there are "only a number of days until we can be protected from" Mr. Trump, "he has done something so serious that there should be prosecution against him."
Democrats have a thin majority in the House, so impeachment could succeed without any Republicans. On Sunday, two moderate Democrats, including one who is the co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition, came out in favor of impeachment. In 2019, nearly all Democrats voted for impeachment, along with former independent Congressman Justin Amash. But for Mr. Trump to be removed from office, he would need to be convicted by 67 senators. Republicans will hold onto the majority in the Senate until Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are sworn in.
Once the Senate receives articles of impeachment, it is required to consider them before acting on any other business. If the Senate is required to hold impeachment hearings, they will monopolize the calendar at a time when hearings should be held for President-elect Joe Biden's crucial Cabinet picks.
There's already a confirmation hearing scheduled for Mr. Biden's pick to lead the Defense Department, retired General Lloyd Austin, on January 19, the day before inauguration. That would potentially be delayed. The Senate would also have to delay a vote on a waiver to allow him to serve as defense secretary, which he would need given his recent departure from the military.
Congressman Jim Clyburn on Sunday floated the possibility of impeaching Mr. Trump after he leaves office on January 20. Clyburn suggested they could impeach him after Mr. Biden's first 100 days in office.
Impeaching and convicting Mr. Trump after he leaves office would bar him from holding office in the future.
A Capitol police officer has died days after responding to Wednesday's assault on the building, the Capitol police confirmed Sunday to CBS News. Capitol police said Officer Howard Liebengood died off-duty.
Capitol police said in a statement that Liebengood, 51, served on the Senate side. He had been with the Capitol police department since April 2005. The police union chairman called it a "tragic day."
"We are reeling from the death of Officer Liebengood. Every Capitol Police Officer puts the security of others before their own safety and Officer Liebengood was an example of the selfless service that is the hallmark of USCP," Capitol police union chairman Gus Papathanasiou said in a statement.
