Giuliani says he won’t be on Trump impeachment defense 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.


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Spanberger on Trump’s impeachment, Capitol riot ‘false equivalencies’ to BLM

Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger called it “a point of sadness” after she joined her fellow Democrats and some Republicans Wednesday to vote to impeach Trump.

“Impeachment is necessary at this point in time because we have to make a clear statement that the incitement of an insurrection by a sitting U.S. president is absolutely unacceptable,” she told ABC's “Nightline.”

She acknowledged how close the president is to the end of his term, but said it’s still necessary to impeach Trump because it’s an “issue of accountability.”

“It’s an issue of law and order. It is an issue of ensuring that every person who holds this office in the future recognizes and knows and understands that in the United States of America, under no circumstances do we accept that the president … would incite a violent mob to insurrection for the purpose of holding onto power. It’s unacceptable, and generations into the future need to know that we believe that to be the case.”


The Democratic congresswoman has served Virginia’s 7th Congressional District since 2019. She said that the riot at the U.S. Capitol building last week during a joint session of Congress was “unimaginable.”

Spanberger also said it’s “ridiculous” to compare the Capitol insurgence to last year’s Black Lives Matter protests like some House Republicans did Wednesday.

“I have categorically denounced violence in all its forms, in any circumstance,” she said. “But this wasn’t violence. This was a domestic terrorist attack perpetrated by insurrectionists who lowered the flag of the United States and raised a flag with one man’s name on it.”

“It couldn’t be more different,” she added, “and false equivalencies are deeply saddening and disheartening, particularly for those of us who have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

-ABC News' Anthony Rivas


Biden calls on Senate to move forward with impeachment, other urgent business

Following the second impeachment of Trump, Biden issued a statement urging the Senate to move forward with impeachment and other urgent business simultaneously.

"Today, the members of the House of Representatives exercised the power granted to them under our Constitution and voted to impeach and hold the president accountable," Biden said in the statement. "It was a bipartisan vote cast by members who followed the Constitution and their conscience."

"The process continues to the Senate," he continued. "This nation also remains in the grip of a deadly virus and a reeling economy. I hope that the Senate leadership will find a way to deal with their Constitutional responsibilities on impeachment while also working on the other urgent business of this nation."

Biden stressed that there is too much "urgent work," from confirming his key cabinet nominees to getting the vaccine program and economy on track to not move forward with it.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle


Trump condemns violence at Capitol riot in new video

Shortly after he was impeached for the second time, Trump released a video condemning the violence at last week's riot at the Capitol, which he called a calamity.

"I want to be very clear -- I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week, violence and vandalism have absolutely no place in our country, and no place in our movement," the president said.

"Making America great again has always been about defending the rule of law, supporting the men and women of law enforcement and upholding our nation's most sacred traditions and values," he added. "Mob violence goes against everything I believe in, and everything our movement stands for."

In the video, which was posted to YouTube and the White House Twitter account, Trump said that he directed federal agencies to use "all necessary resources" to maintain order in Washington ahead of Biden's inauguration.

Without mentioning the social media site by name, Trump also seemed to speak to his Twitter ban, saying "the efforts to censor, cancel and blacklist our fellow citizens are wrong and they are dangerous."

"What is needed now is for us to listen to one another. Not silence on another," he added.

The president did not mention impeachment.


Pelosi holds ceremonial engrossment after House impeaches Trump

Not an hour after the House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump for a second time, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the House impeachment managers walked across Statuary Hall to the Rayburn Room for a ceremonial engrossment ceremony for the article of impeachment.

The engrossment ceremony is a procedural step that takes the article one step closer to the Senate trial.

"Today in a bipartisan way, the House demonstrated that no one is above the law -- not even the president of the United States -- that Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to our country," Pelosi said, preparing to sign off on the engrossment. "And now, I sadly, with a heart broken over what this means to our country of a president who would incite insurrection will sign the address of the article of impeachment."

Pelosi was joined for the ceremony by the nine House impeachment managers -- one of the rarest assignments for a House member.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a former constitutional law professor who co-authored the article and whose family was present at the Capitol during last Wednesday's riot a day after burying Raskin's son, is serving as the lead impeachment manager. The other managers are Democratic Reps. Diana DeGette of Colorado, David Cicilline or Rhode Island, Joaquin Castro of Texas, Eric Swalwell of California, Ted Lieu of California, Joe Neguse of Colorado and Madeleine Dean, of Pennsylvania. and Del. Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands.

While Pelosi has declined to yet say publicly when the House will send the article over to the Senate, a source involved in the Democratic leadership deliberations told ABC News earlier Wednesday that Pelosi planned to send the article to the Senate next week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released a statement after the House voted to impeach Trump indicating the Senate trial should take place after Trump leaves office -- a message to Pelosi to wait to send the article.


Biden outlines major points of recovery plan during his address

Biden outlined the major points of his rescue plan: a $1.9 trillion proposal that includes a nationwide vaccination program, $1,400 checks for individuals, an extension and expansion of unemployment benefits and help for struggling communities and businesses.

Biden placed particular emphasis on housing and food insecurity and spoke about expanding SNAP benefits. He said his policy plan would extend the eviction and foreclosure moratorium, potentially previewing an executive action we could see next week. He also asked Congress to appropriate funds for rental assistance.

Biden, who preached bipartisanship while on the trail, said both he and Vice President-elect Harris had spoken with officials, mayors, and governors of both parties on a regular basis to address the problems across the country.

The president-elect also emphasized his plan's focus on helping small businesses and minority-owned businesses in particular, criticizing the Trump administration's initial approach which he said favored the wealthy and well-connected.

"Last week, I laid out how we'll make sure that our emergency small business relief is distributed swiftly and equitably, unlike the first time around. We're going to focus on small businesses, on Main Street. We'll focus on minority-owned small businesses, women-owned small businesses, and finally having equal access to the resources they need to reopen and to rebuild," Biden said.

He also pushed his plan for a mandatory federal minimum wage of $15 an hour.

"People tell me that's going to be hard to pass. Florida just passed it, as divided as that state is, they just passed it. The rest of the country is ready to move as well," he said. "No one working 40 hours a week should live below the poverty line. And that's what it means. If you work for less than $15 an hour and work 40 hours a week, you're living in poverty."

He frankly noted the "bold, practical" policy he was putting forward did not come cheap but argued there was no option to act.

"I know what I just described does not come cheaply. But failure to do so will cost us dearly," he said. "The consensus among leading economists is we simply cannot afford not to do what I'm proposing."

Biden ended his remarks with a call for unity and optimism, referencing his inauguration on Wednesday as a "new chapter for the country."

-ABC News' John Verhovek, Molly Nagle, Averi Harper and Beatrice Peterson