SHOULD President Donald Trump be removed from office with less than a week left in his presidency either by invoking the 25th Amendment or by impeachment? That is the big question all Americans should be thinking about, especially after the attack on our democracy on the fateful day of Wednesday, January 6, 2021 — just two weeks before President-Elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
On January 6, as protesters breached the U.S. Capitol, disrupting efforts to certify the election of Joe Biden, “the U.S. recorded 3,865 virus deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. It was, at the time, the deadliest day of the whole pandemic”, the Chicago Tribune reported.
“On Thursday, the U.S. surpassed that figure, marking the deadliest day of the pandemic to this point and topping 4,000 fatalities for the first time,” the Tribune added, highlighting how Trump has already neglected his duties and obligations as president as he was obsessed with clinging on to power, defying the will of the American people in the November elections.
As the Washington Post reported, January 6 marked the convergence of several important and consequential events: “Two runoff elections that would determine control of the Senate still had not been decided as Tuesday became Wednesday. A joint session of Congress convened to certify Joe Biden’s electoral-vote win while thousands gathered on the Mall in support of President Trump, who continued to falsely claim that the election was stolen from him.”
“As the scene in D.C. continued to darken, smaller demonstrations across the nation also flared, forcing officials in several statehouses to evacuate,” the report added.
The death toll from the riot at the U.S. Capitol has climbed to five — including a Capitol Police officer who died a day after a mob of Trump supporters breached the building, NBC News reported.
The Post chronicled the timeline of events:
Trump rallies his supporters as Congress convenes
Crowds began forming early in the morning on the White House Ellipse for Trump’s “Save America” rally. During his speech, Trump reiterated multiple falsehoods, claiming the election was rigged and that Democrats had committed voter fraud.
“And after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you. We’re going to walk down. We’re going to walk down any one you want, but I think right here. We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators, and congressmen and women. We’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them, because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”(Politifact)
By midday, the Capitol was buzzing as Congress convened in a joint session and pro-Trump protesters began to gather around the building’s perimeter.
8:17 a.m. — @realDonaldTrump on Twitter: “States want to correct their votes, which they now know were based on irregularities and fraud, plus corrupt process never received legislative approval. All Mike Pence has to do is send them back to the States, AND WE WIN. Do it Mike, this is a time for extreme courage!”
1:05 p.m. — Congress meets in a joint session to confirm Joe Biden’s win, over the objections of some Republicans. Shortly before he opens the session, Pence releases a letter, saying he won’t intervene in Congress’s electoral count. “My oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority,” he says.
1:10 p.m. — Trump ends his speech by urging his followers to march down Pennsylvania Avenue. “We’re going to the Capitol,” he said. “We’re going to try and give them [Republicans] the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”
“If you don’t fight … you’re not going to have a country anymore,” President Trump told supporters in D.C. Jan. 6, before rioters breached the U.S. Capitol.
Pro-Trump mob breaches Capitol, forces Congress to adjourn
Soon after Trump ended his speech, violence broke out as a mob forced its way into the Capitol building. They broke down doors and shattered windows to enter, forcing Congress to adjourn and take shelter. Smaller demonstrations began around the country.
1:12 p.m. — Republicans, led by Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), object to certifying Arizona’s electoral college votes. The joint session then separates into House and Senate chambers to debate the objection.
1:30 p.m. — After Trump’s speech, supporters begin marching toward the U.S. Capitol.
The crowd outside the building grows larger, eventually overtaking Capitol Police and making their way up the steps.
Shortly after 1:30 p.m. —Suspicious packages, later confirmed to be pipe bombs, are found at Republican National Committee headquarters and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington. Nearby buildings are evacuated.
1:35 p.m. — During a debate in the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warns that overturning Biden’s election would push democracy into a “death spiral.”
Around 2:15 p.m. — The pro-Trump mob breaches the Capitol, breaking windows and climbing inside the building, then opening doors for others to follow.
By 2:20 p.m. — Both houses of Congress adjourn and start to evacuate as rioters force their way farther into the Capitol.
2:24 p.m. — @realDonaldTrump: “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!”
2:38 p.m. — @realDonaldTrump: “Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!”
Before 3:15 p.m. — Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran and avid Trump supporter, is shot by Capitol Police while trying to get into the Speaker’s Lobby.
3:13 p.m. — @realDonaldTrump: “I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!”
3:36 p.m. — White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweets that the National Guard and federal forces are on their way to the U.S. Capitol.
Trump refuses to condemn violence as conflict intensifies
Trump remained relatively quiet, even as the country called on him to make a statement that could end the chaos. Though he eventually told the mob to go home, he simultaneously expressed his love for the rioters and rationalized their feelings.
4:05 p.m. — President-Elect Joe Biden calls on Trump to “demand an end to this siege.”
4:17 p.m. — Trump tweets a video telling rioters that he loves them and urging them to go home. He continues to falsely claim that the election was stolen and that he understands how demonstrators feel.
“We have to have peace. So go home. We love you. You’re very special.”
6 p.m. — D.C. curfew takes effect. Most of the 69 people arrested Wednesday afternoon through early Thursday were on curfew and unlawful entry charges.
After the Capitol is secured, Congress officially declares that Biden won the election
After more than four hours, the mob was cleared and Trump’s Twitter and Facebook accounts were temporarily locked for policy violations. Congress reconvened to certify the electoral-vote tally. Around 3:40 a.m., more than 13 hours after the Capitol was breached, Vice President Pence officially affirmed the election results, declaring Biden the winner.
6:01 p.m. — @realDonaldTrump: “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!”
These words coming from the president have just been an echo of his battle cry in the last four years, escalating in intensity days before the election and even more after he lost to Biden.
CNN reported that “Democrats formally introduced their impeachment resolution Monday, charging Trump with ‘incitement of insurrection’ as they race toward making him the first president in history to be impeached twice. Wednesday’s vote underscores Democrats’ fury toward Trump and his supporters after months of false rhetoric about the election being stolen whipped the President’s most ardent followers into a deadly mob Wednesday that ransacked the Capitol, forced lawmakers to evacuate both the House and Senate — and could have been worse. “
The House is now preparing to file articles of impeachment against Trump, as Pence has said he would not invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.
When Trump took his oath on January 20, 2016, he
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Has he fulfilled this oath? What are the consequences if we let Trump go — just like that without accountability?
(To be continued)
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at [email protected], or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.
