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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Trump honors ally Rep. Jim Jordan with Presidential Medal of Freedom in closed ceremony

President Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the nation's highest civilian honor -- to Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan in a closed-Oval Office ceremony earlier Monday, the White House said. Normally, such affairs are celebrated before news cameras.

The White House readout of the event refers to Jordan's service in the House and in defense of Trump during last year's impeachment trial. It calls him "an inspiration to freedom-loving Americans everywhere" who "has distinguished himself as one of the most consequential members of Congress of his generation.”

Jordan was among the Republican lawmakers who still objected to the Electoral College certification affirming Biden's victory even after Wednesday's insurrection.

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson


Biden says he's 'not afraid' to take oath of office outside US Capitol

In the wake of last week's assault on Capitol Hill, Biden was asked if he is afraid of taking his oath of office on the West Front of the Capitol complex, as is tradition, and he said he's not.

"I am not afraid to take the oath outside," Biden told reporters after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware, on Monday afternoon.

"I think it's critically important that there be a real, serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatened people's lives, defaced public property, caused great damage -- that they be held accountable. And I think that's a view held by the vast majority of Democrats and Republicans in the Congress," Biden added.

Asked then if he's worried that impeachment could potentially delay his efforts to pass additional coronavirus relief legislation, Biden said he's already spoken with members about a way to "bifurcate" Trump's impeachment so he could continue his agenda, adding it's "obvious" the House will move to impeach.

"Can we go half day on dealing with the impeachment, and half a day getting my people nominated and confirmed in the Senate, as well as moving on the package -- so that's my hope and expectation," Biden said, adding he hasn't gotten an answer on whether that's possible.


DC Mayor Bowser tells Americans to stay home for Biden's inauguration

Amid threats from both the spreading coronavirus pandemic and of violence in the wake of insurrection at the Capitol, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser at a press conference on Monday urged Americans not to attend Biden's presidential inauguration in Washington next week.

Asked if she was scared of what might happen on Jan. 20, Bowser said, "If I'm scared of anything, it's for our democracy. Because we have… factions in our country that are armed and dangerous."

She urged the public to participate in the ceremonies virtually and announced she has asked Trump for a "pre-emergency disaster" declaration similar to the one issued for the first inauguration of former President Barack Obama.

"This is necessary because the inauguration poses several unprecedented challenges that exceed the scope of our traditional planning processes," Bowser said.

Bowser is also asking the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate a federal force deployment plan and extend the inauguration's special event security period, including the cancellation of public gathering permits -- which would require the cooperation of the Interior Department -- through Sunday, Jan. 24. Additionally, Bowser requested daily intelligence briefings from the FBI throughout the security period.

The National Park Service on Monday morning temporarily closed the Washington Monument "in response to credible threats to visitors and park resources" through Jan. 24.

-ABC News' Quinn Owen


House Dems introduce article of impeachment charging Trump with 'incitement of insurrection'

During Monday's brief session, Republicans blocked an effort by Democrats to get unanimous consent to force Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, and House Democrats introduced one article of impeachment against President Trump for "incitement of insurrection" in the wake of a pro-Trump mob breaching the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday.

The "incitement of insurrection" article of impeachment was introduced by Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Ted Lieu, D-Calif., and David Cicilline, D-R.I., along with more than 210 Democratic co-sponsors.

The measure says that Trump has "demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has told Democrats they will move forward with an impeachment vote immediately if Pence and the Cabinet do not invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from power.

Hoyer told reporters this morning that "there very well could be" an impeachment vote as early as Wednesday.

-ABC News' Mariam Khan


Officials issue wide-ranging ‘threat assessment’ ahead of Biden’s inauguration 

The FBI, DHS, Secret Service and U.S. Capitol Police, along with several local law enforcement agencies, have issued an extensive "threat assessment" surrounding Wednesday's inauguration.

It covers a range of threats surrounding the inauguration, including not only physical threats from domestic terrorists but also influence campaigns from Russia, China and Iran stemming from the Capitol siege. It even covers physical threats from drones.

The memo says domestic extremists is the “most likely” threat to the inauguration, citing recent incidents of ideologically motivated violence, including the deadly mob at the U.S. Capitol building.

Regarding foreign concerns, the assessment said that since the incident at the Capitol, “Russian, Iranian, and Chinese influence actors have seized the opportunity to amplify narratives in furtherance of their policy interest amid the presidential transition.”

“We have not identified any specific, credible information indicating that these actors intend to explicitly commit violence,” it added. “Furthermore, we have not identified any specific, credible cyber threat to critical infrastructure supporting the upcoming Presidential Inauguration nor a specific credible cyber threat to military or law enforcement personnel supporting the event."

The memo did say, however, that Russian state media has “amplified themes related to the violent and chaotic nature of the Capitol Hill incident, impeachment of President Trump, and social media censorship.”

Iranian state media has “continued to stoke claims that President Trump encouraged and incited the violence, as well as calls to invoke the 25th amendment,” the memo added. It has also “amplified perceived concerns related to President Trump’s mental health and the prospect of other risky actions he could take before leaving office.”

Finally, it noted that Chinese media has “seized the story to denigrate US democratic governance -- casting the United States as broadly in decline -- and to justify China’s crackdown on protestors in Hong Kong."

Lastly, the memo warned that drones could disrupt law enforcement operations at the inauguration, though it added that it does not have “specific, credible information” indicating malicious actors have plans to use unmanned aircraft systems to target the event.

-ABC News’ Mike Levine