Category: Opinion

With just a week left remaining in President Trump’s term, the House of Representatives is heading toward an impeachment vote for the second time in less than a year. The reason being fellow lawmakers’ outrage in the president’s role in the attack of the Capitol last week.

This week the House will take two major steps toward impeaching Trump, making him the only president in history to be impeached twice.

First, the house will vote on a resolution from Representative Jamie Raskin calling on the Vice President to invoke the 25th Amendment to have Trump removed from office, meaning that the president will be declared “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”

Vice President Mike Pence is not expected to oblige, and if he doesn’t the Democrats will then move forward with the second impeachment of the president.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi outlined the plan on Monday saying, The House will next take up the Raskin legislation in regular order to call upon the Vice President to activate the 25th Amendment to remove the President. We are further calling on the Vice President to respond within 24 hours after passage.”

“As our next step,” she continued, “we will move forward with bringing impeachment legislation to the Floor. The President’s threat to America is urgent, and so too will be our action.”

Representative David Cicilline announced on Monday that Democrats have obtained the votes necessary to impeach President Trump for “Incitement of Insurrection.”

The article of impeachment claims that “President Trump endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government. He threatened the integrity of the Democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of government. He therefore betrayed his trust as president, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.”

Shunning anyone who was associated with President Trump is not going to help heal this nation.

Independent Women’s Forum analyst Kelsy Bolar told “Fox & Friends,” “This is just the latest example of cancel culture and the great purge that we’re seeing come from the left and never-Trump Republicans.”

Bolar claims that Joe Biden was elected as president on the idea that he would bring unity and a sense of normalcy to our country but the “dangerous cancel culture” could flush it all down the drain.

“This dangerous cancel culture, which wants to ban any American who had the audacity to support President Trump or work in his administration from being able to do something as basic as have a new job,” said Bolar.

Bolar is referring to Forbes warning companies not to employee officials previously associated with Donald Trump.

In the op-ed, the magazine’s chief content officer, Randall Lane, sent a warning to companies considering hiring Kayleigh McEnany, White House press secretary, Kellyanne Conway, former senior counselor to the president, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House deputy press secretary, and any other White House official who worked for the Trump administration.

“Let it be known to the business world,” Lane wrote, “Hire any of Trump’s fellow fabulists above, and Forbes will assume that everything your company or firm talks about is a lie.”

Bolar is accusing the media, Big Tech, and corporate America of being in on canceling anyone who was associated with President Trump. She says it is a “very dangerous and concerning trend and it will not unite the country.”

“It is going to divide us and, of course, there is a huge double standard to talk about here where this is coming from the same media that peddled the idea that the 2016 election was hijacked from the Russians,” she added.

Bolar pointed to a tweet from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claiming that the 2016 election was hijacked and no actions were taken.

“They don’t hold themselves accountable,” she argued, “but yet they want to turn around and tell us that anyone who worked in the Trump administration does not deserve to have a job.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling on the administration to place those involved in storming the Capitol during last week’s riots on the no-fly list. He fears that some could return to Washington or travel elsewhere to commit violence.

“We are concerned about these people getting back on airplanes and doing more violence,” said Schumer during a New York City press conference.

He went on to say that “the insurrectionists who breached the U.S. Capitol fall under the definition of threats to the homeland and should be immediately added to the TSA no-fly list.”

“We are calling on the authorities — the FBI, the TSA,” Schumer declared, “any of those who were inside the Capitol should be placed on the no-fly list and not be allowed to fly.”

Schumer’s remarks came after President Trump criticized Big Tech companies, accusing them of deliberately creating anger in the country.

“I think that big tech is doing a horrible thing for our country and to our country,” Trump told the press, apparently referring to his recent ban from several social media platforms.

“And I believe it’s going to be a catastrophic mistake for them. They’re dividing and divisive, and they’re showing something that I’ve been predicting for a long time,” he continued. “But I think big tech has made a terrible mistake, and very, very bad for our country. And that’s leading others to do the same thing, and it causes a lot of problems and a lot of danger.”

Trump was questioned about his role in last week’s violence at the Capitol. He responded by defending a speech he delivered on the national mall moments before rioters stormed the Capitol.

During his press conference, Schumer made it seem as if Trump were blaming others and engaging in a “pathological technique used by the worst of the dictators.”

The Minority Leader argues that the president’s statements were further evidence for the ongoing demand to have him removed from office before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in about a week.

After the attack on the Capitol that shook the entire country last week, Melania Trump has been unusually quiet. Then on Monday she openly condemned a group of her husband’s supporters for their actions saying she was “disappointed and disheartened” by the violence.

In a statement released by the White House, the First Lady says, “I am disappointed and disheartened with what happened last week. Our Nation must heal in a civil manner. Make no mistake about it, I absolutely condemn the violence that has occurred on our Nation’s Capitol. Violence is never acceptable.”

“I pray for their families’ comfort and strength during this difficult time,” Melania said.

The first lady has mostly kept her opinion to herself about Trump’s claims of widespread election fraud but mirrored his statements on ensuring that every single legal vote would be counted. She also has not publicly acknowledged Joe Biden’s victory.

Melania says in her statement that it “has been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your first lady.”

“I want to thank the millions of Americans who supported my husband and me over the past 4 years and shown the incredible impact of the American spirit,” she continued. “I am grateful to you all for letting me serve you on platforms which are dear to me.”

Melania also addressed the “salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attack, and false misleading accusations on me- from people who are looking to be relevant and have an agenda.” This may be a reference to a CNN report citing a source claiming the first lady had been attending a photoshoot during the riots.

President-elect Joe Biden is refusing to take a firm stance on whether or not he wants President Trump removed from office after the events that took place at the Capitol last week.

House Democrats have already said they would introduce articles of impeachment against him this week. Representatives Ted Lieu, David Cicilline, and Jamie Raskin already have the article of impeachment drafted and they are set to introduce “Incitement to Insurrection” in a House pro forma session immediately.

Lieu gave his thoughts in a tweet over the weekend saying, “With every new day we learn that the violent insurrection was even worse than we thought. Impeaching @POTUS would be just the bare minimum of what needs to occur. Donald Trump should be prosecuted for a range of felonies, including inciting an insurrection and felony murder.”

With every new day we learn that the violent insurrection was even worse than we thought. Impeaching @POTUS would be just the bare minimum of what needs to occur. Donald Trump should be prosecuted for a range of felonies, including inciting an insurrection and felony murder. https://t.co/FJZuJdtfA8

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) January 10, 2021

Biden made comments over the weekend saying that Trump is “not above the law” and “justice serves the people – it doesn’t protect the powerful.”

However, the president-elect stopped just short of calling for Trump’s impeachment or the invoking of the 25th Amendment by Vice President Mike Pence.

The president-elect was questioned on whether he supported bringing articles of impeachment, or invoking the 25th Amendment, both of which have been called for by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

“I’m focused on the virus, the vaccine and economic growth. What Congress decides to do is for them to decide,” Biden responded. “We’re going to do our job and the Congress can decide how to proceed with theirs.”

“That’s a decision for the Congress to make,” he said and added, “I am focused on my job.”

Twitter Inc. shares took a hit after banning President Trump’s account in a move the company claims was done to prevent the instigation of further violence.

Shares of the California-based company dropped more than 10% at the opening bell on Monday, erasing over $2.5 billion from their $41 billion market capitalization. Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc. stocks also fell after the president’s accounts were suspended from their platforms.

Twitter’s decision to remove Trump from the social media platform was made after he posted two tweets which the company claims were in direct violation of its glorification of violence policy.

In one tweet Trump wrote, “The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!”

The second tweet in question said, “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.”

Before his account was permanently deleted, President Trump had over 88 million followers putting in the top six of most-followed users. Former President Barack Obama is in first place with around 120 million followers.

Trump’s absence from the platform could cause many of his supporters to move over to their more conservative-friendly rival Parler, which is known for its lack of censorship. Many conservatives and celebrities have already reported losing thousands of followers.

Before removing Trump for good, both Twitter and Facebook temporarily blocked the president from using his account after he posted a video telling his supporters who stormed the Capitol to “go home in peace.”

Since November’s election, the number of daily users has been “slightly lower” while the Wall Street consensus is expecting to have a daily increase of 7 million users for the fourth quarter.

President Trump has acknowledged that he bears some responsibility for the attack on the Capitol last week while speaking with House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy.

According to sources, McCarthy relayed the president’s regrets on a call with the House GOP Conference.

McCarthy agreed that Trump bore the blame for the riot that sent Congress into lockdown as they were in the process of certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The riot, which left five people dead, came after the president told his supporters at a rally that he would “never concede” and continued to make unfounded claims that the election was “stolen” from him and that he won by a “landslide.”

During his speech, the president put pressure on Vice President Mike Pence to decertify the results of the election and send it “back to the states” which would allow Trump to remain in office for another four years.

White House Deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino released a statement from the president on Twitter saying, “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless, there will be an orderly transition on January 20th.”

President Trump goes on to say, “I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!”

Gab is a more conservative-friendly social media platform compared to its mainstream counterparts. On Saturday it claimed to be gaining new users at an astounding rate at 10,000 per hour in the wake of President Trump’s permanent suspension from Twitter.

Along with the president, several of his prominent supporters including Gen. Michael Flynn and attorney Sidney Powell were also banned from Twitter after the attack on the Capitol last week.

Trump has also been temporarily blocked from posting on Facebook and Instagram.

“The traffic just keeps growing,” said Gab CEO Andrew Torba adding that there were “even more servers on the way today.”

Torba wrote in a tweet that by Saturday the site had 18 million visits and over 500,000 new users.

https://twitter.com/getongab/status/1348135407783792640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1348135407783792640%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxbusiness.com%2Ftechnology%2Fgab-usership-surges-following-trumps-permanent-twitter-suspension

Gab, which was launched in 2016, calls itself a “social network that champions free speech, individual liberty, and the new free flow of information online.”

Conservatives’ biggest complaint with big tech companies is the censorship of their viewpoints in favor of liberals, an opinion that was strengthened by Trump’s suspension.

The president’s son Donald Trump Jr expressed his outrage in a tweet Saturday, “Free Speech Is Under Attack! Censorship is happening like NEVER before! Don’t let them silence us.”

Free Speech Is Under Attack! Censorship is happening like NEVER before! Don’t let them silence us. Sign up at https://t.co/835Eak6Ghi to stay connected!
If I get thrown off my social platforms I’ll let you know my thoughts and where I end up. pic.twitter.com/bO7wbfWWVr

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 9, 2021

After being banned, President Trump briefly used the official @Potus account and accused Twitter of “banning free speech” and informed his supporters that he is “negotiating with various other sites, and will have a big announcement soon, while we also look at the possibilities of building out our own platform in the near future. We will not be SILENCED!”

Twitter immediately removed the president’s posts citing its policy on banned users accessing other accounts to circumvent the suspension.

The West Virginia lawmaker who live-streamed himself storming the Capitol building has resigned as he faces charges of entering a restricted area.

The Republican Delegate, Darrick Evans, wrote a letter notifying Governor Jim Justice of his intentions to step down, effective immediately.

After being arrested on Friday, Evans appeared before a judge in federal court. If convicted, he could face up to 18 months in federal prison for entering a restricted area and disorderly conduct, both of which are misdemeanor charges.

In a statement, Evans said that he takes full responsibility for his actions and the best course of action would be for him to resign to “focus on my personal situation and those I love.”

He added that he regrets any “hurt, pain, or embarrassment I may have caused my family, friends, constituents and fellow West Virginians.”

“I hope this action I take today can remove any cloud of distraction from the state Legislature, so my colleagues can get to work in earnest building a brighter future for our state,” Evans said. “And more importantly, I hope it helps to begin the healing process, so we can all move forward and come together as ‘One Nation, Under God.”

In a video widely shared online, Evans is seen pushing his way through the Capitol building doorway chanting “Trump” along with the crowd. He then mills around the Capitol Rotunda, where many historic paintings and busts were later vandalized.

According to the charging documents, before Evans and the crowd busted into the building he posted a video to his social media saying, “They’re making an announcement right now: If Pence betrays us you better get your mind right because we’re storming that building.” He then laughs and says, “I’m just the messenger, so don’t be hating on me.”

Legislators from at least seven other states traveled to Washington, D.C., last Wednesday to support President Trump and protest the counting of electoral votes that would confirm Joe Biden’s victory.

No other elected officials were reported to have been involved in the attack on the Capitol.

Of the 222-person Democratic caucus, the House has reached a vast majority of 185 co-sponsors for an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump and the chamber has plans of introducing the measure on Monday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats are calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to have Trump removed from office, or for the president to willingly step down.

After a very long phone call with other Democrats discussing impeachment, Pelosi said, “It is the hope of members that the president will immediately resign. But if he does not, I have instructed the Rules Committee to be prepared.”

UPDATE to the update: We’ve just hit 180 cosponsors of the Article of Impeachment drafted by Rep @davidcicilline, @RepRaskin, me and @HouseJudiciary staff.

We will introduce the Article of Impeachment this Monday during the House’s pro forma session. https://t.co/qm7LmXhOgK

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) January 9, 2021

With President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration now just days away, it is unlikely that impeachment would make it through both the House and Senate in time.

Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger was the first GOP member of the House to call for President Trump to be removed through the 25th Amendment and Senator Ben Sasse, a known Trump critic, said he would “definitely consider” impeachment articles if they were brought forth.

Senator Lisa Murkowski claims Trump’s leadership of the GOP makes her question whether she should remain in the party and became the first Republican to call on the President to resign.

“I think he should leave,” said the Alaska Senator. “He said he’s not going to show up. He’s not going to appear at the inauguration. He hasn’t been focused on what is going on with COVID.”

“I want him to resign. I want him out. He has caused enough damage,” she added.