Sen. Angus King announced Tuesday that he is supporting the impeachment of President Trump, saying the president needs to be removed from office immediately for his role in the fomenting the insurrection against Congress last week.
“After the events of January 6th, it is more clear than ever that President Trump poses a danger to the Republic, and that if he is allowed to remain in office for the next eight days, this intemperate and impulsive person could use his powers in ways that further jeopardize our national security and the safety of the American people,” King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said in a statement. “That is why President Trump should be immediately removed from office – either through his own resignation, the 25th Amendment, or, if necessary, impeachment.”
With King’s announcement, Sen. Susan Collins is the only member of Maine’s delegation not to have committed to impeaching Trump for a second time. Collins, the only remaining Republican in New England’s congressional delegation, has said she will not comment on impeachment efforts on account of being a “juror” if the Senate eventually holds a trial to determine if Trump will be removed from office.
King expressed outrage over Republican colleagues and members of the House who had chosen to try to undermine the results of a free and fair election. He noted that even in the immediate aftermath of the deadly assault on the Capitol building eight Republican senators and 139 House members had voted to overturn the results of the election. “They saw firsthand the harmful consequences of their lies, but they kept telling them,” he said. “That is shameful.
“These blatant lies, amplified by Congressional enablers who seemed all-too-willing to neglect their oath for short-term political gain, have caused millions of Americans to lose faith in our elections – the beating heart of our democratic system.”
King also rejected Republican arguments that Trump and others implicated in the insurrection should not be held accountable because it will further divide the country.
“I agree that unifying our country to move forward together must be our highest priority – but I also believe that any effort to build national unity cannot simply paper over assaults on our democratic systems and the lies that made them possible,” he said. “To put our nation on the path towards healing, we must tell the truth, even if it’s uncomfortable. Let’s start with this clear and obvious fact: Donald Trump’s campaign to undermine our democratic system is the single most irresponsible act ever committed by a United States President in our history. He must be held accountable.”
King called for Trump to be removed by impeachment, invocation of the 25th Amendment or his own resignation.
Both of Maine’s House members have come out strongly in support of a second impeachment, with Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, revealing his position Monday evening with a statement saying that Trump’s incitement of the insurrection was “an act which clearly meets the threshold of a ‘high crime or misdemeanor’ set forth by the Framers.”
Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, has been calling for Trump’s immediate impeachment since shortly after the attack on the Capitol, which disrupted the ceremonial counting of the Electoral College votes confirming Trump’s defeat and resulted in five deaths.
Pingree also is co-sponsoring a House resolution to condemn and investigate the actions of the 147 members of Congress who sought to undo the results of the presidential election by blocking the certification of the Electoral College votes of key swing states. The resolution cites Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits anyone from serving in Congress who has supported insurrection against the United States.
The House is scheduled to take up the article of impeachment against Trump on Wednesday.
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