Donald Trump has officially become the first President of the United States to ever be impeached twice.
Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted 232-197 to impeach the POTUS on the grounds of “incitement of insurrection” for the far-right, fascist riot that took place a week ago today at the U.S. Capitol the resulted in six deaths.
Notably of the 232 votes, 10 republicans defected and voted to impeach a Republican President making this the most bipartisan impeachment vote in U.S. history.
Next up, the Senate will once again put Donald Trump on trial and eventually hold a vote on whether to remove him from office.
When that happens is still up in the air.
The current Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell although has reportedly favored impeachment as a way to purge the GOP of Trump, will not reconvene the Senate prior to January 19. McConnell will instead leave a Senate trial to the new Democratic leadership meaning Donald Trump is likely to serve out his remaining days in office.
Now despite a Senate trial taking place after Trump leaves office, there still can be some very serious consequences for the soon-to-be-former President if he is in fact convicted in the Senate. This could range from the loss of his presidential pension and loss of lifetime secret service protection to being prohibited from ever running for federal office ever again. That in and of itself could be incredibly enticing for the GOP, especially any Republican senators who may be looking to run for President in 2024.
If Trump were to be convicted in the Senate, 17 Republicans would have to cross the aisle in order for Democrats to get that two-thirds majority. That, as it stands still seems like a long-shot, however, the uncertainty surrounding how McConnell votes could make all the difference. If the current Majority Leader votes to convict, there’s certainly a better chance for more Republicans to follow suit.
