Donald Trump became the first US president in history to be impeached for a second time as the House of Representatives charged him with “incitement to insurrection” for his role in stirring up a mob of supporters that stormed the Capitol last week.
According to Financial Times, the House voted 232 to 197 on Wednesday in favour of impeaching the president after the riot that left five people dead, with 10 Republicans breaking ranks to join all Democrats in voting to charge Mr Trump.
The single article of impeachment will be sent to the Senate, where the outgoing president faces a trial that will cast a shadow over the start of Joe Biden’s presidency and potentially prevent Mr Trump from running for office in the future.
“Today, in a bipartisan way, the House demonstrated that no one is above the law, not even the president,” Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House, said before signing the article of impeachment at a ceremony after the vote. She added: “Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to our country.”
In a statement on Wednesday night, Mr Biden described Mr Trump’s impeachment as “a bipartisan vote cast by members who followed the constitution and their conscience”.