Giuliani won’t be on Trump impeachment team

Trump was impeached by the House for a second time last week.

President Donald Trump is slated to hand over control of the White House to President-elect Joe Biden in three days.

The House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump last Wednesday on an article for "incitement of insurrection" for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol -- making him the only president to be impeached twice.

Top headlines:

Here is how the scene is unfolding. All times Eastern.
Jan 13, 2021, 3:22 PM EST

GOP knocks 'rushed' process, calls for unity in wake of Capitol violence

Following several Republicans who aired their grievances with a "rushed" process, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, condemned Trump for pressing Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election but argued he couldn't support the impeachment article as written.

"Let us condemn which must be condemned but do it the right way with deliberation and without disastrous side effects. We must end tearing apart our nation by social media and sound bite," Roy said. 

Another Texas Republican, Rep. Jodey Arrington, expressed some discontent at the president's rhetoric but suggested it would set a dangerous precedent to pin the actions of his supporters at the Capitol on the president. 

PHOTO: Trump supporters participated in a rally, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
Trump supporters participated in a rally, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. As Congress prepares to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory, thousands of people have gathered to show their support for President Donald Trump and his baseless claims of election fraud. The president addressed the rally on the Ellipse, just south of the White House.
John Minchillo/AP

"I'm not saying that the president didn't exercise poor judgment, but to criminalize political speech by blaming lawless acts on the president's rhetoric is wrong and a very dangerous precedent," he said to groans from Democrats. "The criminals who stormed the Capitol that day acted on their own volition. They are responsible. This is an important moment for our nation. We have to come together."

While other Republicans didn't go so far as to directly condemn Trump, they all condemned the violence at the Capitol -- but argued it was time for unity and healing, instead of an impeachment with one week until Biden's inauguration.

Rep. Louie Gohmert speaks on the floor of the House as they debate a resolution to impeach President Donald Trump, Jan. 13, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.
ABC News

Democrats, however, rejected that stance.

"A police officer was killed. And what I hear from the other side is that it's time to heal? He's not even buried yet!" Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J., scolded his colleagues.

"If he has four years or four days, we must do the right thing for all Americans because he must be held accountable," he added.

Republicans argued there had been no hearings or witnesses called in the Judiciary Committee, to which Democrats responded that the lawmakers themselves witnessed the violence and immediate action must be taken to avoid further threats.

-ABC News' Benjamin Siegel

Jan 13, 2021, 3:02 PM EST

Senate will not return early for impeachment trial

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office has confirmed the Senate will not return early for an impeachment trial.

The GOP leader spoke to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and said he has no intention of invoking any emergency authority the leaders have to jointly call the Senate back.

That means the earliest the trial can start is  Jan. 19 -- the same day as the first confirmation hearing for one of Biden's Cabinet picks and one day before Biden's inauguration. It's unclear how those events might be affected as Trump is poised to be impeached in the House later Wednesday.

-ABC News' Trish Turner (edited)

Jan 13, 2021, 2:47 PM EST

Dems paint Trump as looming threat to the nation

Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo, a former Army Ranger with multiple combat deployments, called on his Republican colleagues to find the courage to vote to impeach Trump.

"Last week I stood in that gallery to defend this chamber against the violent mob called here by Donald Trump. I have dedicated my life to the defense of our nation and Donald Trump is a risk to all that I love," he said. "I'm not asking you to storm the beaches of Normandy, but show a fraction of the courage we ask of our troops every day. Leadership is hard. It's time to impeach."

Freshman progressive Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who introduced a resolution on the House floor Monday seeking to expel lawmakers who still voted to overturn the election after the Capitol siege, was met with boos from Republicans after her remarks in which she called Trump "a white supremacist president."

Newly elected Rep. Cori Bush speaks during the impeachment debate on the House floor, Jan. 13, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.
ABC News

"If we fail to remove a white supremacist president, who incited a white supremacist insurrection, it's communities like Missouri's 1st District that suffer the most," she said.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., a staunch critic of Trump's, warned earlier, "He is capable of starting a Civil War."

Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, as with many Democrats before her, have called on Trump not only to be impeached but to "never be allowed to hold office again."

Representative Veronica Escobar (D-TX) speaks at the U.S. Capitol while Democrats debate one article of impeachment against President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., Jan. 13, 2021.
ABC News

Jan 13, 2021, 2:21 PM EST

6th House Republican backs impeachment

GOP Rep. Dan Newhouse, Wash., issued a statement saying he would vote yes on the article of impeachment shortly before speaking on the House floor.

"These articles of impeachment are flawed, but I will not use process as an excuse. There's no excuse for President Trump's actions," Newhouse said.

"Last week there was a domestic threat at the door of the Capitol, and he did nothing to stop it. That is why with a heavy heart and clear resolve I will vote yes on these articles of impeachment."

Roughly two dozen Democrats on the House floor applauded Newhouse when he announced his plans to vote to impeach Trump.

Shortly after, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., said she will also vote to impeach Trump in her floor marks. She had previously announced her intentions to break from the president, and said on the floor it's not a "fear-based decision."

No House Republicans voted to impeach Trump in 2019.

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders and Benjamin Siegel

Related Topics