Impeachment article has 200 cosponsors: US rep.
The draft, citing "incitement of insurrection," could be introduced Monday.
President Donald Trump is slated to hand over control of the White House to President-elect Joe Biden in 11 days.
Top headlines:
- Rep. Cicilline: 'Just passed 200 cosponsors' on article of impeachment
- GOP Rep. Kinzinger: Best thing for the country is Trump to resign
- Pence to attend Biden's inauguration: Source
- Senate Democrat says Cruz, Hawley should resign or 'the Senate must expel them'
- Trump asked Georgia election investigator to 'find the fraud': Source
At least 10 Trump staffers, including 5 White House officials, have resigned
In the wake of Wednesday’s U.S. Capitol siege, at least 10 Trump administration officials have resigned.
Among them are five White House officials. These are Matthew Pottinger (deputy national security adviser), Tyler Goodspeed (acting chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers), Stephanie Grisham (Melania Trump’s chief of staff and spokeswoman), Rickie Niceta (White House social secretary) and Sarah Matthews (White House deputy press secretary).
Other officials who have resigned following Donald Trump's encouragement of Capitol protests, include Elaine Chao (secretary of transportation), John Costello, (deputy assistant secretary of commerce for intelligence and security) and Mick Mulvaney (U.S. special envoy to Northern Ireland and former White House chief of staff).
Ryan Tully, the senior director for Europe and Russian affairs on the White House National Security Council has also willingly left his post, as has Betsy Devos, the secretary of education.
ABC News' Elizabeth Thomas.
Betsy DeVos resigns in wake of Capitol attack
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has resigned, according to a letter obtained by ABC News Thursday night.
She is the second Trump Cabinet member to step down in the wake of Wednesday's storming of the Capitol, following Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao's resignation earlier Thursday.
In her resignation letter, addressed to Trump, DeVos cited the president's role in Wednesday's "unconscionable" attack on the Capitol.
"We should be highlighting and celebrating your Administration's many accomplishments on behalf of the American people," she wrote. "Instead, we are left to clean up the mess caused by violent protesters overrunning the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to undermine the people's business."
"There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me," she added.
The resignation is effective Friday, according to the letter.
She joins a growing list of other Trump officials to resign following the Capitol breach.
-ABC News' Sophie Tatum contributed to this report
McConnell receives resignation of Senate sergeant-at-arms
Following the resignation of the House sergeant-at-arms and the Capitol police chief, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday night that he’s received the resignation of the Senate sergeant-at-arms.
This comes following Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s statement earlier Thursday that he would fire the Senate sergeant-at-arms when Democrats claim the majority in the chamber if he did not resign.
“Today I requested and received the resignation of Michael Stenger, the Senate Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper, effective immediately," McConnell said in a statement Thursday.
“Deputy Sergeant at Arms Jennifer Hemingway will now serve the Senate as Acting Sergeant at Arms, pursuant to statute," McConnell continued. "I thank Jennifer in advance for her service as we begin to examine the serious failures that transpired yesterday and continue and strengthen our preparations for a safe and successful inauguration on January 20th.”
-ABC News' Allison Pecorin
Trump effectively concedes, says focus on ensuring smooth transition of power
For the first time since losing the election to President-elect Joe Biden, President Donald Trump acknowledged he lost.
A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, he said.
“My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power,” Trump said in a video Thursday night.
Trump also spoke directly to his supporters, saying serving as president has been the honor of his lifetime.
“To all of my wonderful supporters, I know you’re disappointed, but I also want you to know that our incredible journey has only just begun.”
The president did not congratulate Biden or recognize him as the president-elect in the video.
His speech comes a day after a pro-Trump mob breached the Capitol, in an incident that left at least four people dead and forced Congress to evacuate and seek shelter in the middle of certifying the electoral votes.
Thursday night, the president spoke of the need for peace and calm, a day after speaking to those same pro-Trump protesters, saying he would never concede.
“This moment calls for healing and reconciliation,” Trump said Thursday night.
Cheney argues an Electoral college challenge sets an 'exceptionally dangerous' precedent
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., a member of House GOP leadership and one of the first prominent Republicans to acknowledge Biden's victory, sent a 21-page memo to her conference making the case against a challenge to the Electoral College certification process on Wednesday, arguing that it would improperly overrule states' authority over elections, and set a "dangerous precedent" down the line for future elections and sessions of Congress.
"By objecting to electoral slates, members are unavoidably asserting that Congress has the authority to overturn elections and overrule state and federal courts. Such objections set an exceptionally dangerous precedent, threatening to steal states’ explicit constitutional responsibility for choosing the President and bestowing it instead on Congress," Cheney wrote.
"This is directly at odds with the Constitution’s clear text and our core beliefs as Republicans. Democrats have long attempted, unconstitutionally, to federalize every element of our nation—including elections. Republicans should not embrace Democrats’ unconstitutional position on these issues," she added.
Cheney raises questions about the proposal from some Republicans to set up a commission to investigate concerns about the election, calling it a "problematic" set up that would take much longer than ten days to wrap up, and potentially delay the inauguration. The memo also exhaustively summarizes the court rulings against the president's legal efforts in the six states Republicans plan to target on Wednesday: Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania.
-ABC News' Benjamin Siegel