'He Is A Traitor': Rep. Clark Says House Could Vote To Impeach President Trump By Next Week
WASHINGTON (CBS) -- The House of Representatives could vote to impeach President Donald Trump following the riot at the U.S. Capitol as early as mid-next week, Assistant Speaker Rep. Katherine Clark told CNN Friday morning. Democrats have said they will impeach the president if he is not removed from office under the 25th amendment.
The Melrose Democrat said her party's leadership will "proceed with every tool that we have" to get Trump out of office before his term ends on Jan. 20.
"We know that we have limited time, but every day that Donald Trump is president of the United States is a day of grave danger," she said. "We can use procedural tools to get articles of impeachment to the floor for a House vote quickly."
Trump urged his supporters to march on the Capitol Wednesday as Congress certified President-Elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory. Rioters ransacked the complex and five people, including a Capitol police officer, have died.
Clark said Trump "incited a seditious mob."
"We have a president who has turned on us. He is a traitor. He has incited violence and perpetuated a lie that he won this election," Clark said. "If we do not hold this president accountable, if we do not remove him from office, we cannot underestimate the damage we will do to the American experience and experiment of democracy."
If the House votes to impeach Trump, as it did in 2020, the Senate would still need to hold a trial to convict the president. Clark was asked whether the process could be completed before the end of his term.
"We can act very quickly when we want to," she said. "So let's make sure we stand up now."
