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HomeNewsLocal newsPlaskett Takes Prominent Role in Second Trump Impeachment

Plaskett Takes Prominent Role in Second Trump Impeachment

V.I. Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett will play a direct role in the historic second impeachment of President Donald Trump. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi named Plaskett as one of nine members who will manage the impeachment.

“It is their constitutional and patriotic duty to present the case for the president’s impeachment and removal. They will do so guided by their great love of country, determination to protect our democracy and loyalty to our oath to the Constitution. Our managers will honor their duty to defend democracy for the people with great solemnity, prayerfulness and urgency,” Pelosi said in a statement Tuesday evening.

The other managers are: Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who will take the lead; Diana DeGette of Colorado; David Cicilline of Rhode Island; Joaquin Castro of Texas; Eric Swalwell of California; Ted Lieu of California; Joe Neguse of Colorado; and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania.

Trump is being impeached on a charge of incitement of insurrection, for arranging a rally aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election and directing the rally attendees to march to the Capitol to object to the counting of electoral votes.

With no evidence and 50 separate court rulings dismissing his claims as baseless, Trump falsely told his followers there was fraud in the vote-counting and falsely asserted he won the election that he lost in November. Marching to the Capitol at Trump’s direction, supporters of the Republican president then assembled a functional gallows on Capitol grounds; chanted “hang Mike Pence,” who is Trump’s vice president; killed a police officer; beat another police officer with an American flag on a pole; smashed windows and doors; and mobbed the Capitol, forcing members of Congress to flee; vandalized and stole from the offices of members of Congress; and defecated on the Capitol floor, to name a few of the events of Jan. 6. Five people died. Another 14 police officers were among the injured. Several of Trump’s supporters carried bundles of large zip-ties, of the type used by police to bind the hands of multiple prisoners. The insurrection delayed the democratic process for several hours.

For the first time, Congress voted to impeach a president a second time. Trump was impeached in 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of justice, for withholding military aid to Ukraine as leverage to pressure the Ukrainian president to go on television and publicly announce an investigation into Trump’s political rival Joe Biden’s son. The U.S. Senate vote to convict and remove Trump from office failed on largely partisan lines, with only Utah Sen. Mitt Romney bucking the Republican Party to vote to convict and remove Trump from office.

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