Top Republican says Trump committed impeachable offenses

Washington, January 10

Democrats’ momentum for a fresh drive to quickly impeach outgoing President Donald Trump has gained support, and a top Republican said the President’s role in the deadly riot at the Capitol by a violent mob of supporters was worthy of rebuke.

Sen Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said on Saturday he believed Trump had committed “impeachable offenses”. But he did not explicitly say whether he would vote to remove the President from office at the conclusion of a Senate trial if the House sent over articles of impeachment.

“I don’t know what they are going to send over and one of the things that I’m concerned about, frankly, is whether the House would completely politicise something,” Toomey said Saturday on a news channel, speaking of the Democratic-controlled House.

“I do think the President committed impeachable offenses, but I don’t know what is going to land on the Senate floor, if anything,” Toomey said.

Late Saturday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to her Democratic colleagues, reiterating that Trump must be held accountable — but stopped short of committing to an impeachment vote. Still, she told her caucus, “I urge you to be prepared to return to Washington this week. It is absolutely essential that those who perpetrated the assault on our democracy be held accountable,” Pelosi wrote. AP