By the time the day is out, the U.S. House of Representatives will likely have cast their votes for the second impeachment of President Donald Trump.
And considering that the article of impeachment charging Trump with incitement of an insurrection for his alleged role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol has 213 co-sponsors in the House before the vote has even started, it is extremely likely to pass there.
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While this outlook on the measure’s success can be partially attributed to the fact that Democrats retain a majority in the House, some Republican representatives have also declared their intent to support the president’s impeachment.
And one of them is the third highest-ranking Republican in that chamber.
On January 12, Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming announced her intention to vote in favor of President Trump’s impeachment.
As USA Today reported , she said, “The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President.”
As Cheney sees it, Trump’s culpability comes from both his actions leading up to the riot and his inaction while it was underway.
As she put it , “The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”
In terms of Republican rankings within the House, Cheney lies below only House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Republican Whip Steve Scalise.
And according to CNN , this makes Cheney the highest ranking GOP representative to both vote in favor of certifying the 2020 Presidential Election results and — thus far — Trump’s impeachment.
But while the latter decision has prompted Trump ally Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona to call for her resignation as Chair of the House Republican Conference, it’s not without support within her party.
Although it’s unclear how many House Republicans will support the president’s impeachment, at least two other representatives have already pledged their votes to the cause.
As USA Today reported , these include Adam Kinzinger of Illinois (pictured) and John Katko of New York.
For his part, Kinzinger has expressed the belief that Trump violated his oath of office and incited the riot.
Meanwhile, Katko has stated, “To allow the President of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy. For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action. I will vote to impeach this President.”
But while the outcome of the impeachment vote in the House seems easy enough to predict, it’s less clear what will happen when the members of the Senate make their decision.
Although CNN reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has expressed some belief that impeachment could benefit the GOP by helping to sever Trump’s influence on the party, he has also not given any indication as to how he intends to vote during the Senate impeachment trials.
And considering — as USA Today explained — that Trump’s removal from office requires the support of two-thirds of the Senate, it will need significant support among Republicans to happen.
