WASHINGTON — The final act of Donald Trump presidency could include a history-making impeachment. With the inauguration of a new administration less than a week away, Democrats in Congress are moving to make him the only president to be impeached twice. This, after the deadly mob attack at the U.S. Capitol. 

What You Need To Know

  • House Democrats introduced article of impeachment against President Trump Monday

  • Have additionally called on Vice President Pence to invoke 25th Amendment to remove Trump

  • Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro says Trump needs to be held responsible for violent attack at U.S. Capitol

  • Some Republicans say impeachment would only further divide the country 

House Democrats are pursuing two different avenues to remove President Trump from office, or at least prevent him from running again. It is unlikely at this point that Vice President Mike Pence will invoke the 25th Amendment, but an impeachment trial is looking imminent. 

Democrats formally introduced the article of impeachment Monday morning, charging Trump with “incitement of insurrection.” The single impeachment article discusses how Trump repeated false claims that he won the election by a landslide and says in part he, “willfully made statements that, in context, encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — lawless action at the Capitol.”

The 13 Texas Democrats in Congress support impeachment. 

“President Donald Trump and our home state senator Ted Cruz both egged on these folks with baseless conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud, that were not based in reality at all. They never produced any evidence about it, and they inspired people to take this action,” said Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, who represents the state’s 20th congressional district. 

Republicans blocked immediate consideration of a resolution urging Pence and the Cabinet to remove Trump via the constitutional amendment. The House will hold a vote Tuesday evening on the resolution and it is expected to pass in the Democratic-controlled chamber.

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Pence would then have 24 hours to respond to the Democrats' calls. If he does take this drastic constitutional measure, Trump’s impeachment proceedings will begin.

“The ultimate objective there would be to preclude him from ever running for office again. What it doesn't do, is stop him in the next nine days, from contributing more dangerous events between now and the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden,” said Paul Brace, professor of political science at Rice University. 

While all were quick to chastise the violent protesters, some Republicans said they believe another impeachment will further fracture a divided country.

In a statement, Republican Rep. Chip Roy, who represents the state’s 21st congressional district, said in part, to do so would be a reckless political statement and will only further sow division.

“This is why I fundamentally believe in respecting federalism and states allowing us to agree to disagree. You got to reduce the temperature of politics. We shouldn't care so much who the president is. We shouldn't care so much what's happening in Washington,” Roy told Spectrum News 1 in an interview last Thursday.

But for Democrats like Castro, reducing the temperature means eliminating what he sees as the source of the fire. He calls Trump one of the most divisive presidents in the country’s history. 

“Part of the process of healing is by removing him and also holding him accountable for the division that he's created in our country,” Castro said. 

Democrats are now having to weigh whether to send the article of impeachment to the Senate before or after President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. The Senate, for now, is scheduled to reconvene the day before Biden is sworn in, so some are concerned an impeachment trial would distract from Biden’s critical first weeks in office.