Once is never enough

In the most bipartisan impeachment vote in history, Donald Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives today, in a 232-197 vote, for his role in inciting the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday. While Trump's first impeachment brought no GOP votes in the House, 10 House Republicans broke with the party to join Democrats, saying Trump violated his oath to protect and defend U.S. democracy. Today's vote was set up last night, when the House approved a resolution calling for Trump's immediate removal. Since Vice President Mike Pence rejected Congress' 25th Amendment push, and Trump naturally has not resigned, that left impeachment as Congress' only remedy. Trump becomes the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice. A fitting way to end a disgraceful term in office. —Associated Press

• — "There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States." House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney announced in no uncertain terms last night her intention to impeach the president. She was joined by a few other House Republicans who have put country over party. The result? Rep. Jim Jordan and some other Trump allies have called on her to be removed from leadership. Ugh. —The Hill
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• — Mitch please. After word came down last night that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would potentially vote to convict Trump in the Senate, in a political move to expunge Trumpism from the party, there was a glimmer of hope that Trump really could be removed before Jan. 20. Today, McConnell's office said he will not bring the Senate back early to hold an impeachment trial. Democrats worry the trial will drag into President-elect Joe Biden's term and hamstring his early agenda. But on the other hand, they'll be taking control of the Senate. Win some, lose some? —CNBC
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• — "We four schemed." Weeks ahead of the insurrection, right-wing activist Ali Alexander told his followers that he was planning something big for Jan. 6. Alexander, who organized the "Stop the Steal" movement, said he hatched the plan—coinciding with Congress' vote to certify the electoral college votes—alongside three Republican lawmakers, Reps. Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks, and Paul Gosar, all hard-line Trump supporters. —The Washington Post
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• — Extreme measures. Tensions flared last night between a handful of House Republicans and the Capitol Police over new metal detectors that were placed outside the House chamber in the wake of the attack on the Capitol. The lawmakers were heard by reporters complaining about the detectors and railing against Democrats as they tried to enter the House chamber to vote, saying they were not consulted by Democratic leadership about the decision to install the safety devices. —The Hill
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• — A stunning allegation. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, during a live webcast last night, said she witnessed some members of Congress leading people through the Capitol on Jan. 5 in what she termed a "reconnaissance" for the next day's attack. "I'm going to see they are held accountable and, if necessary, ensure that they don't serve in Congress," she said. Stay tuned. —northjersey.com
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• — "People are going to be shocked." The Justice Department and FBI yesterday announced the creation of a sedition and conspiracy task force to pursue charges in the storming of the Capitol. The investigation, one of the largest ever undertaken by the department, includes counterterrorism and counterintelligence facets and will probe any links to domestic or foreign instigators. So far, charges have been filed against more than 70 people, and 170 suspects have been identified to date. Arrest figures are expected to increase "exponentially." —The Washington Post

Graham: Trump's culture of impunity

"[T]he rioters were...imbued with the culture of impunity of the Trump era. This is a moment when bad behavior goes unpunished. The president has told his supporters that loyalty to his cause trumps fidelity to the law, and he has reinforced that message by handing out pardons to aides who get in trouble for putting him ahead of the law. The crowd he summoned to Capitol Hill on Jan. 6 took that message to heart." —David Graham in The Atlantic

David Graham is a staff writer at The Atlantic.

MORE: One Trump fan's descent into the U.S. Capitol mob —The Wall Street Journal

Law enforcement preps for Inauguration Day

The Secret Service and federal law enforcement agencies are spending the final days of the Trump Administration bracing for a possible violent assault against the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, launching a security mobilization that will be unlike any in modern U.S. history.

• — The Secret Service takes command of security preparations today, not only at the U.S. Capitol but at other federal buildings as well. They will be backed by as many as 20,000 National Guard troops, thousands of police and tactical officers, and layers of eight-foot steel fencing.
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• — The high-alert security posture is starting six days earlier than planned to coordinate roles for the FBI, National Guard, U.S. Marshals Service, and other federal agencies that will fall under Secret Service command. The accelerated timetable also allows authorities to fortify the city and deploy officers in anticipation of potential violence on Sunday, when pro-Trump groups are calling for armed marches in Washington and the 50 state capitals. —The Washington Post
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• — The extra security is desperately needed. A Chicago-area man was arrested yesterday after threatening to kill Democrats at the inauguration. Louis Capriotti is accused of leaving a voicemail for a House member from New Jersey on Dec. 29, saying, "[W]e will surround the motherf----ng White House and we will kill any motherf----ng Democrat that steps on the motherf----ng lawn," according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court. —Yahoo! News

MORE: Biden inaugural returns cash from ex-senator-turned-foreign agent —Axios

Watson Coleman: Facts are a matter of life and death

"When I say that many Republicans are responsible for what happened to me, to others, and to the country last week, I mean their essential failure to accept facts led us here. Much like they should be able to accept the results of an election, elected leaders should be able to accept facts like the efficacy of masks. It's clearly time for a congressional campuswide mask requirement, enforced by the House and Senate sergeants at arms. Facts really do matter. I hope to get back to work soon to make sure we respect them." —Bonnie Watson Coleman in The Washington Post

Bonnie Watson Coleman represents New Jersey's 12th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She has been diagnosed with COVID-19 since sheltering with Republican members who refused to wear face masks during the Capitol siege last week.

MORE: House Democrats propose $500 fine for members of Congress who don't wear masks —USA Today

Hemmer: The right-wing media problem

"The conspiracy crisis in U.S. politics...is at least as much one of demand as supply. There are millions of Americans marinating in conspiracy and hungry for more. That is a social problem, not a technological or regulatory one. And while the efforts to fix our media systems over the past few days matter, we cannot lose sight of the larger cultural crisis that continues to fuel our crisis of democracy." —Nicole Hemmer on CNN

Nicole Hemmer is an associate research scholar at Columbia University and the author of "Messengers of the Right: Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politics."

MORE: On Telegram, white nationalists are trying to radicalize those fleeing Parler —Mother Jones

The Joint Chiefs speak out

All eight members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, including Chair Gen. Mark Milley, co-signed an extraordinary memo to the entire armed services yesterday afternoon, affirming Joe Biden as the lawfully elected president-elect. The statement also forcefully condemned last week's assault on the U.S. Capitol and confirmed that Biden "will become our 46th Commander in Chief." That the military's senior-most uniformed leaders should feel compelled to issue such a message to the force reflects deep-seated concerns about the impact that bitter national divisions may have within the ranks. —Defense One

MORE: Supreme Court refuses to consider GOP post-election cases before Biden takes office —Forbes

Simon: Fight disinfo, save democracy

"[T]he protection of our constitutional values and the rule of law is our collective responsibility. The November election demonstrated how people in a democracy engage in revolution and rise up to remove a president. It will be our shame if we ever fail in that responsibility or allow a disinformation campaign to convince us to give up on democracy, and especially the power of our vote. Democratic institutions require protection from the corrosive effect of disinformation." —Howard Simon in Orlando Sentinel

Howard Simon is the former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

MORE: How years of disinformation led to an insurrection at the Capitol —MPR News

Time to make the Republican Party the third party; after all, they have worked hard to achieve it. —Tom A., New York

He released from jail every form of lowlife—thieves, conmen, mass murderers, grifters. Anyone who was not against him but who was capable of mayhem and anarchy, he incited to violence.

That was Saddam Hussein in 2003, as we went in to liberate Iraq. Wait, whom did you think I was talking about? —John A., New Mexico

Acting Homeland Security Sec. Chad Wolf resigning nine days before Trump's term ends is the height of cowardice at such a dangerous time. I don't know how these people can live with themselves. Democrats can cry for resignations of senators and congresspeople until Devin Nunes' cow comes home; but until STRONG GOP members stand up and insist on JUSTICE, nothing will be done against these mewling insurrectionists. They need to be called out by their party over and over and over again. But the sickening realization has become clear to me: This president will not be held accountable for the traitorous act he's committed and continues to commit with his lies, and his accomplices (Cruz, Hawley, Giuliani, Trump Jr., et. al.) will also get a free pass. I pray for our country. —Sharon C., Michigan

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