(NEXSTAR) – Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted that she is drafting articles of impeachment after pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, sending lawmakers in the process of certifying President-elect Biden’s win running for their own safety.
“Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate,” Omar tweeted. “We can’t allow him to remain in office, it’s a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath.”
A growing cohort of Democrats backed the impeachment effort as officers worked to clear trespassers from the building. House Democrats David Cicilline (RI), Mark Takano (Calif.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Jennifer Wexton (Va.), Seth Moulton (Mass.), Mondaire Jones (NY), Kai Kahele (HI) and Carolyn Bourdeaux (Ga.), among others called for Trump’s impeachment.
“Rest assured, this day will not end without us finishing the work Congress is supposed to carry out,” Omar added. “We will not let our Constitution be trampled on by a mob and threaten by a tyrant. Democracy will prevail.”
Vermont’s Republican Governor Phil Scott joined the call for Trump’s impeachment, saying in a statement: “The fabric of our democracy and the principles of our republic are under attack by the President. Enough is enough. President Trump should resign or be removed from office by his Cabinet, or by the Congress.”
On Wednesday a violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday and forced lawmakers into hiding, in a stunning attempt to overturn America’s presidential election, undercut the nation’s democracy and keep Democrat Joe Biden from replacing Trump in the White House.
The nation’s elected representatives scrambled to crouch under desks and donned gas marks, while police futilely tried to barricade the building, one of the most jarring scenes ever to unfold in a seat of American political power. A woman was shot and killed inside the Capitol, and Washington’s mayor instituted an evening curfew in an attempt to contain the violence.
The rioters were egged on by Trump, who has spent weeks falsely attacking the integrity of the election and had urged his supporters to descend on Washington Wednesday to protest Congress’ formal approval of Biden’s victory. Some Republican lawmakers were in the midst of raising objections to the results on his behalf when the proceedings were abruptly halted by the mob.
Together, the protests and the GOP election objections amounted to an almost unthinkable challenge to American democracy and exposed the depths of the divisions that have coursed through the country during Trump’s four years in office. Though the efforts to block Biden from being sworn in on Jan. 20 are sure to fail, the support Trump has received for his efforts to overturn the election results have badly strained the nation’s democratic guardrails.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers were resuming the counting of electoral votes Wednesday evening after the Capitol was cleared of the pro-Trump occupiers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
