On Wednesday, Jan. 6, as a mob in support of President Donald Trump rampaged through the Capitol, the world observed a crisis unfold that has since been named an “insurrection.” In response to the riot, and the Democratic Representatives of the House’s perception of President Trump as a catalyst for the violence, Representatives Jamie Raskin, Ted Lieu, and David Cicilline have introduced a single article of impeachment against the President.

“I am personally in favor of impeaching President Trump as I supported the first move in December of 2019,” senior Kobie Hernandez said. “I think that Trump has abused his power and destroyed the meaning of the presidency.”

The article of impeachment comes in response to Vice President Mike Pence’s hesitation to act on the 25th Amendment as the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi declared that impeachment would be pursued in its place. The 25th Amendment, which would declare President Trump as unfit for office, can only be activated upon the agreement of the Vice President and the majority of the Presidential Cabinet. 

“I am in favor of a second impeachment because I refuse to have someone [who] encourages terrorism and treason act as the President,” senior Laine Smith said. 

Upon its introduction, the article currently has 200 Democractic co-sponsors in the House, and the vote for action is expected to occur this upcoming Wednesday, Jan. 13. 

“Donald John Trump engaged in high Crimes and Misdemeanors by inciting violence against the Government of the United States,” representatives wrote in the article of impeachment. 

In addition to accusations against the President for the “incitement of insurrection,” the article justifies the proposed impeachment by referencing repeated “false claims of election fraud in the months leading up to the riot” and a questionable “phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger where President Trump urged him to ‘find’ votes.” 

“As he was our president, there was a drastic increase in white nationalism and supremacy groups, whose rhetoric he fueled,” Hernandez said. “I believe that creating hateful rhetoric, inciting violence, and abusing his office are perfectly good reasons to be stripped of his office and position.”

If the House of Representatives passes the article of impeachment, it will be sent to the Senate at an undetermined date. Upon a two-thirds approval in the Senate, President Trump would be officially impeached, making him the first president to be impeached twice. In order to prohibit President Trump from running for public office in the future, an additional disqualification vote would be held in the Senate that requires majority support for approval. 

“I think that the impeachment trials should be held now because President Trump’s actions require a quick and dutiful punishment, especially as republican support is growing,” Hernandez said. 

However, President-elect Joe Biden has declared that official impeachment is not his top priority, and he will be calling upon Congress to pass another stimulus bill before impeachment is pursued in the Senate. 

“If I were a representative, I would tell President Trump how deeply embarrassing he is to our country and our image. I would tell him how much he divided our country by spewing hateful rhetoric,” Hernandez said. “The quicker we [impeach him], the faster the U.S. can heal our image that President Trump has so badly ruined.”

Additional reporting by Naya Tillisch.