After watching Antifa and Proud Boys wear Civil War t-shirts, can a president be impeached in 12 days? If so, it would be a tall order. Five people have died because of the insurrection on the day Congress certified the Biden win. A police officer had a heart attack after tasering himself by accident. The pandemic death toll is increasing, with the previous death toll exceeding 4,080 for the first time.

Trump wants healing and reconciliation. He never intended a mob to overtake the Capitol building, terrorizing Congress, with one protestor taking a picture in Pelosi’s office with his feet on her desk and stealing an envelope.

The President only wanted to remain in office for a second term. Trump has come to term with this, stating he would leave the White House for Mar-a-Lago on January 19, skipping the Biden inauguration.

The White House has issued a statement:

This is a time of healing, reconciliation, and unity for the United States of America. It does not make sense to impeach a president with only a few days left in office.

Lisa Murkowski from Alaska is the first Republican Senator to call upon President Trump to resign. On the other hand, there is no chance that the United States President will step down. President Trump does not believe he did anything wrong.

Presently, the Vice-President and members of Trump’s Cabinet have refused to invoke the 25th Amendment.

Lessons from Nixon

Never in American history has a president been impeached twice in one term. And no president has even been convicted. During Watergate, former President Nixon chose to resign from his office rather than face removal from office.

The movement would raise logistical, political, and constitution questions about the speed at which the matter could commence and even be completed.

The Senate’s balance will not change until Democrats Ossoff and Warnock are sworn into office in a few weeks. Georgia is still certifying the results of the election.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who has always had a contentious relationship with the President, is looking to speed up the process. Republicans may consider another trial.

Proceedings

What Nancy Pelosi wants is to keep President Trump from holding another public office ever again.

Impeachment would disqualify him from holding any office of trust, honor, or profit on behalf of the United States of America.

For this fact, President Trump is trying to hold on to power. He had wanted to run again in 2024. It would look weak to back down and not fight for his office’s stance to his supporters.

The constitution permits Congress to remove presidents thought unfit for their office if they have committed acts of bribery, treason, misdemeanors, and other high crimes.

First, the members of the House would decide whether to impeach President Trump. Since the Democrats have the majority in the House, this is highly likely. During the Biden presidential certification process, less than 50 Republicans dissented in choosing not to dispute the election results.

Pelosi is eager to get the process started on Monday. The White House has dissented from this likely scenario, stating it would further divide the country.

The House fears Trump may do something drastic, like launching a nuclear strike. Military Generals said that he could not just start a nuclear war without following protocols. There are checks and balances already in place.

Impeachment Part Two

Impeachment is the process of indicting a person on criminal charges. The articles of impeachment would state the allegations of the offenses against the people of the United States.

The Senate would conduct the trial, with the members of the chamber acting as the jury. Chief Justice Roberts would serve as the overseer of the prosecution. The White House attorneys would defend the case as the House of Representatives’ legal counsel presents the evidence.

President Trump’s first impeachment because of abuse of power and obstruction of justice was a long-drawn-out affair. The investigations, hearings, testimonies, and deliberations went on for multiple days and weeks.

However, a speedy impeachment is not impossible. Congress can move to act in a matter of days, bypassing the judiciary committee. The House could draw up one article of impeachment, like the Incitement of Insurrection, have a vote on the floor, and immediately confer charges to the Senate. Next, the Senate trial would promptly commence.

The Speed of the Trial

The Senate must agree with a two-thirds majority to remove President Trump from office. Once the full Senate convenes, it would only take 17 Republican Senators to agree with the Democrats to relieve Trump from his duties. That would be a difficult hurdle to cross, with many Senate members still secretly supporting President Trump.

Even President-elect Joe Biden does not support removing Trump from office with only a few days left in his term. However, if Trump had six months left in office, it would be a different matter. Biden said that the most important thing is to remember that the his new administration will take office on January 20, 2021, and the nation should really focus on that.

Impeachment After Trump Leaves Office

Once Biden is sworn into office, and the Democrats take control of the Senate, President Trump could still be charged with impeachment. There is only one case of post-presidency impeachment during the nation’s history. That was the Secretary of War during Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency. Ultimately, he was acquitted because Congress concluded they no longer had jurisdiction in the matter.