The US House of Representatives on Wednesday made Donald Trump the first US president to be impeached twice, formally charging him with inciting an insurrection a week after a violent mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol.
Now that Trump has been impeached in the House for a second time, the action moves to the Senate, which will hold a formal trial with US chief justice John Roberts presiding.
Trump is likely to argue at trial that his remarks were free speech protected by the constitution’s First Amendment and that, while he told supporters to “fight”, he did not intend it as a literal call to violence.
Trump released a videotaped statement on Wednesday, shortly after the impeachment vote, saying he condemned last week’s violence.
“Violence and vandalism have absolutely no place in our country and no place in our movement,” Trump said.
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