SPLC Action Fund: President Trump Has Been Impeached; Now It’s Time for the Senate to Finish the Job

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives voted by a 232-197 margin to impeach President Donald Trump for inciting the deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol by a violent mob seeking to overturn the election, making him the first president in American history to be impeached twice. Notably, ten Republicans broke with their party to support removing Trump from office. 

Margaret Huang, President and CEO of the SPLC Action Fund, issued the following statement in response. 

“Impeaching President Trump for a second time was absolutely necessary to protect the future of our democracy. For weeks, Trump has carried out an all-out attack on our political system in hopes of overturning President-elect Biden’s decisive win in the 2020 election. He spewed lies about election fraud and gave credence to far-right conspiracy theories, many soaked in viciously racist and anti-Semitic language. He enlisted a gang of enablers from the Republican Party and the right-wing media ecosphere. He blatantly demanded election officials overturn the results and find fraud where none existed. 

“And last week, in a last-ditch effort to stay in power, Trump called his supporters to Washington and encouraged them to march on the U.S. Capitol and “fight” for him. As a result, armed insurrectionists stormed the complex — destroying property, injuring dozens of officers, and leaving five people dead. 

“There’s no question that President Trump committed impeachable offenses. The only question is whether the Senate will show the courage and true patriotism to remove him from office. Even in the wake of the violent Capitol attacks, many Republicans have continued to bend to Trump’s whims and try to shift the blame for violence elsewhere. 

“Make no mistake: If Trump is not impeached and removed from office, lawmakers will be giving a green light for future presidents to use threats, pressure, and violence to hold onto power — something which would be a death knell for our democracy."