House Democrats: Trump a ‘Threat to National Security, Democracy, and the Constitution’

House Democrats have prepared Articles of Impeachment, asserting that President Trump is a “threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution.”

The articles, drafted by Reps. David Cicilline (D-RI), Ted Lieu (D-CA), and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), accuse Trump of inciting the chaos that descended upon the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday after delivering a speech to his supporters, who gathered in D.C. for a “Save America Rally.” It was there, lawmakers contend, that Trump reiterated “false claims that ‘we won this election, and we won it by a landslide.'”

“He also willfully made statements that encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — imminent lawless action at the Capitol,” the articles continue, explicitly accusing Trump of inciting lawlessness:

Incited by President Trump, a mob unlawfully breached the Capitol, injured law enforcement personnel, menaced Members of Congress and the Vice President, interfered with the Join Session’s solemn constitutional duty to certify the election results, and engaged in violent, deadly, destructive, and seditious acts.

Lawmakers also asserted that Trump’s conduct was “consistent with his prior efforts to subvert and obstruct the certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election,” mentioning his January 2 phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R).

Trump, the Democrats concluded “gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions and government” while threatening the “integrity of the democratic system” and interfering with the “peaceful transition of power.”

The articles conclude:

Wherefore President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law. President Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any sort of office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.

Several U.S. lawmakers have blamed Trump for the chaos that occurred at the Capitol on Wednesday as lawmakers gathered for a joint session of Congress to certify the election results. At the time, protesters stormed the building, forcing evacuations and lockdowns. Over two dozen lawmakers have explicitly called for Trump’s removal.

Those include Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and more.

The president, who repeatedly called for peace on Wednesday, said in a statement that there “will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” despite the fact that he disagrees with the outcome of the election.

“While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!” he added.

Democrats have already tried — and failed — to remove President Trump from office once, focusing on baselessly impeaching Trump over a phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky as the Chinese coronavirus began to grip the globe.