Less than a year after President Donald Trump was acquitted in a momentous Senate trial, the U.S. president faces the possibility of a second impeachment in the dying days of his presidency. Democrats formally filed an impeachment resolution with the charge of "incitement of insurrection." With days left as president, what is the point of impeaching Trump? What would a second impeachment mean for President Trump's future? How might it test politics and accountability?
Regarding why people want to impeach Trump, Einar Tangen, an independent current affairs commentator, said the people pursuing the process were directly involved in the Capitol Hill riot.
"This not something that happened somewhere else. This has happened to them. They were under siege for about three hours while the president stood by and did nothing, actually prevented the national guard from coming in, after sending his crazed followers up to actually go up there," Tangen said.
"This is something unheard of. The Capitol has not been overrun by anybody since 1814."
He added that, from a political perspective, Nancy Pelosi wants to make sure Republicans decide whether they support the country or Donald Trump. Tangen said it's necessary to accuse him while he's in office because you cannot have an impeachment after the person has left office.
"The impeachment is the accusation; the trial itself come afterwards," he said.
If Trump is impeached, benefits such as pension and secret service protection will be taken away, and he will never be able to hold a public office again.
Professor Joav Toker from the American Graduate School in Paris said the process is political, and the House of Representatives and the Senate don't follow strict judiciary and legal terms.
Joanne Cheng, an intercultural critic, thinks Trump should not be impeached and insisted that it was a peaceful demonstration. "I think to be very fair, we need to wait until the investigation to go through before we actually make a definitive decision," Cheng said.
Toker weighed in, saying that the debate over what should be done and what may be happening over the coming days regarding the horrible episode is between accountability and the urgent need for healing.
Toker also suggested that the historical dimension must be considered. "We should not forget that impeachment, beyond its political fallout; if ever an impeachment goes through, it would have a historical meaning," Toker said. "This does not seem to be extremely urgent right now, but it may become the real need of the American society in the American public sphere and the American public system at home and abroad."
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