Almost a year to the day after his first impeachment trial, Donald Trump could find himself as of Monday under the blow of a second procedure.
This unprecedented development comes as the outgoing US president showed no intention of resigning or withdrawing on Saturday after the January 6 violence on Capitol Hill.
An impeachment text, written by elected Democrats in the House of Representatives, accuses the Republican president of having "deliberately made statements" which encouraged the invasion of the Congress building by his supporters.
Gathered by Donald Trump to demonstrate against the certification by Congress of Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election, the rioters then burst into the parliamentary session.
Events never before seen in Washington and in which five people died, including a police officer.
Since then, several rioters have been arrested and the authorities let it be known that other arrests will follow.
“He's crazy, out of balance and dangerous.
He must go "
The indictment article also claims that Donald Trump has "seriously endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government".
The decision to launch this new impeachment procedure will once again fall to the powerful Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
She has promised to act if the Republican president does not resign immediately.
“He's crazy, out of balance and dangerous.
He must leave, ”she insisted, going so far as to meet with the Chief of Staff of the American army to ensure that Donald Trump cannot use nuclear codes.
Morning essentials newsletter
A tour of the news to start the day
Subscribe to the newsletterAll newsletters
Recluse in the White House, Donald Trump would have informed his relatives that he had no intention of resigning, the New York Times indicated on Saturday.
READ ALSO>
Violence on Capitol Hill: Trump's mental health in question
Even in the Republican camp, some elected officials seemed open to the possibility of a new "impeachment".
Senator Ben Sasse has said he will review the charges if the House opens impeachment proceedings.
Without commenting on a potential "impeachment", another elected Republican called for the departure of Donald Trump.
“I want him to resign.
I want to see him go.
He's done enough damage, ”said moderate Senator Lisa Murkowski.
No trial possible before the investiture
More isolated than ever, when two members of his government have resigned, the Republican billionaire who was deprived of his favorite communication channel, Twitter on Friday evening, has given no sign of wanting to be discreet.
In response, Donald Trump spoke of reprisals against the social network which “prohibits freedom of expression” and the possible launch of its own platform in the near future, through a series of messages immediately withdrawn by Twitter.
"Muzzle freedom of expression is dangerous," said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, one of the president's last loyalists, on Saturday.
In power since 2017, Donald Trump has already been targeted in Congress by impeachment proceedings, opened by Nancy Pelosi at the end of 2019 on the charge of having asked a foreign country, Ukraine, to investigate his rival Joe Biden .
He had been acquitted in the Senate, with a Republican majority, in early 2020.
For the new impeachment process to succeed, the Republican billionaire would have to be found guilty by two-thirds of the Senate, which has no chance of happening before his successor Joe Biden is sworn in on January 20.
The leader of the Republicans in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, has also circulated a memo stating that under current Senate rules, no impeachment trial could take place before the inauguration of the president-elect, unless all of the senators do not authorize such a procedure.
An indelible mark on its balance sheet
Still, launching a second “impeachment” would leave an indelible mark on Donald Trump's record: no American president has suffered this dishonor.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, another of his relatives, for his part warned against such a step which would risk "destroying the country even more", asking Joe Biden to intervene.
"I hope you will use your power to stop this before it's too late," he added, speaking directly to the president-elect, in a statement on Fox News.
Posing as the peacemaker of a country shaken by the events of the Capitol, the president-elect was careful not to take a position on this question of impeachment.
It's up to Congress to decide, he said.
READ ALSO>
United States: between setbacks and humiliations, the painful twilight of Donald Trump
