No floor action yet in Congress on an impeachment (updated)

By Robert Willmann

Four impeachment resolutions were filed on 11 January 2021 in the House of Representatives against President Donald Trump :  H.Res. 34 by Maxine Waters with 8 cosponsors, H.Res. 26 by Sheila Jackson Lee with 33 cosponsors, H.Res. 32 by Ilhan Omar with 84 cosponsors, and H.Res. 24 by David Cicilline with 160 cosponsors.  H.Res. 24 seems to be the one getting the most attention [1]. 

The proposed resolution to ask Vice President Mike Pence to start the 25th Amendment's procedure to declare a president incapable of executing the duties of the office has zero cosponsors, and is H.Res. 21, introduced by Jamie Raskin.  An attempt to get unanimous consent to take the resolution to the floor failed.  I think there will not be any floor debate on that one (See update below).

So far today, 12 January, the House has done nothing on any of the resolutions.  This morning it was in session for almost four minutes about electing members to standing committees, and then recessed subject to the call of the Chair [2].

The "Blue Dog Coalition" of 18 Democrats in the House are not Trump supporters but will probably not be in automatic agreement with everything Speaker Nancy Pelosi might want, which may narrow the Democratic majority on some issues [3].  

Careful investigation of the events of 6 January at and around the White House and Capitol building is essential, along with the public release of all videos and images that can be obtained.

UPDATE, 5:27 p.m. central time:  The House is going ahead with a floor debate about H.Res. 21 to suggest to Vice Pres. Pence that he start the process of the 25th Amendment.  It can be seen at the "live" House website at the link below and at c-span.org.

[1]  House Resolution 24, filed on 11 January 2021.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-resolution/24/all-info

https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/hres24/BILLS-117hres24ih.pdf

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-resolution/24/text?format=txt

[2]  https://clerk.house.gov/

https://live.house.gov

[3]  https://bluedogcaucus-costa.house.gov

 

Comments

[smoke]

Perhaps congresscritters are sample polling voter approval for impeachment before proceeding?

They may find that only a small, vocal minority support impeachment now. Perhaps, also, that many others wonder if Dems have gone into full tantrum mode and lost their way entirely.

Or perhaps they are actually re-examining the whowhatwhen of protest and election evidence and discovering that the devil is in the details. Better not to give the other side a stage to air those realities.

[Barbara Ann]

"article i: incitement of insurrection"

I am not a lawyer, so I'd be grateful for an explanation of how an analysis of the crowd's actions will evidence "incitement" on the part of the POTUS. Does the law require that all violent actions are ipso facto the result of an incitement?

Below are the quotes from Trump's Save America Rally speech in which he mentions the Capitol. I listened to it. It was a long and borderline tedious repetition of election fraud claims. It was calmly delivered and almost soporific - about as far as it is possible to get from an animated incitement speech.

"We're going to walk down. Anyone 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 and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them."

"I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard"

"Together we will drain the Washington swamp, and we will clean up the corruption in our nation's Capitol"

"So we are going to--we are going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue, I love Pennsylvania Avenue, and we are going to the Capitol, and we are going to try and give--the Democrats are hopeless, they are never voting for anything, not even one vote but we are going to try--give our Republicans, the weak ones because the strong ones don't need any of our help, we're try--going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country. So let's walk down Pennsylvania Avenue."

In the Alamo speech, where he mentioned a "Biden Administration" for the first time, Trump has made himself look like a lame duck. Perhaps this was an attempt to head off these proceedings. I would be very wary of someone who has apparently given up the fight.

[Deap]

Nothing embarrasses Democrats. That is dangerous to observe.
RINOs now also lining up in favor of impeachment. Equally dangerous.

Gheesh, cut the guy an even break. Trump had a very good four year run under the very trying circumstances. He is not measured today by some goons and their 1.5 hour melee in the Capitol, who have not yet even been indentified.

There was no gain to any Trump supporter to be engaged in that street theater stunt. So it s very curious now when some GOP wrap themselves up false flag around themselves - obviously for their own political gain.

Ted Cruz, I am talking to you. I thought you owned 2024, but no longer But when it is ever sound policy to base your future political life on a lie?

Trump did not lose. The perverse cancel culture won. Have at it folks. But I shall not join this piling on and blaming Trump for being the four year long object of Democrat scorn.

Democrats will not make my head spin like Linda Blair's in the Exorcist.

[Horace]

"Careful investigation ..."

Careful investigation leading to a set of facts organized in space and time is so last century. Rule of law and especially constraint and governance of rule of law by constitution are weapons to be wielded against one's enemies when convenient and irrelevancies to be ignored when inconvenient.

Most of the Representatives not on board with the destruction of America are too intimidated to resist. The majority of Republicans are establishment creatures who are there for the money. They don't actually want to fight for anything. They are actors playing their opposition roles and playing (much less being) leaders in a civilizational conflict is not what they signed up for. It is scary to publicly oppose vote fraud when the fraudsters (who also control your eventual remuneration) have control over the media and both parties and have two active violent auxiliary terroristic street mobs at their beck and call. (BLM/ANTIFA)

How did our ruling elites come to this? They have wrecked our civilization and are neither elite nor ours any longer.

[fakebot]

If they censured the president I could understand, but I can't understand the purpose of another impeachment. For many of us, it's another partisan ploy meant to demonize Trump and his voters, all 74 million of them, not just the rowdy few who stormed the Capitol.

The president is out of office in 7 days, he conceded the election. What are Democrats doing to convince Americans who support Trump that they somehow have a place in their vision for America?

I worry for the future of the country. Regardless of if Trump had won, the country is heading in a direction that could see her cease to be a union. Biden's message of unity is important, but it's salad dressing over problems for which he has no solutions and can only contribute to the further dissolution of the country.

[Deap]

fakebot, have you confirmed it was just "rowdy few Trump voters who stormed the Capitol"? Which ones "stormed" the Capitol, and which one just walked in after the Capitol police beckoned them in and posed for tourist photos?

I personally am waiting until I see the list of serious offenders who scaled the walls, broke windows and caused mayhem and their political affiliations.