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- At least five House Republicans support impeaching President Donald Trump over the Capitol siege, but most are pushing against it and arguing that it would further divide the country.
- “This will only bring up the hate and fire more than ever before,” one House Republican said on Wednesday.
- But multiple polls show a majority of Americans support the House impeaching Trump and the Senate removing him from office.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
As the House on Wednesday debated impeaching President Donald Trump a second time – in this case for inciting an attempted coup – numerous Republicans argued that impeachment would further divide the US.
But a majority of Americans want to see Trump impeached and removed for provoking the violent insurrection at the US Capitol, according to recent polls.
Most Americans are in favor of impeaching Trump, despite what Republicans say:
- A CBS News poll released Wednesday found 55% of Americans favor impeaching Trump over the Capitol siege.
- A Morning Consult/Politico survey released Monday found 53% of Americans said they support the president’s impeachment in the House, and 54% would approve of Trump’s conviction and removal from office by the Senate.
- An ABC News/Ipsos poll released on Sunday found 56% of Americans said Trump should be removed from office.
At least five House Republicans support impeaching Trump, but most GOP lawmakers in the chamber are against it. Those opposed to it contend it’s the wrong move when the president will be out of office soon as it is, while decrying the rapid process and expressing concerns about how impeachment could deepen the schism plaguing the country.
GOP Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma said that January 6 was the “darkest day” in his time as a US lawmaker, but he argued that impeaching Trump over the Capitol riots would “divide us further.”
—CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 13, 2021
A number of Cole’s GOP colleagues echoed his sentiments.
“This will only bring up the hate and fire more than ever before,” Republican Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri said as he decried House Democrats for pursuing what he decried as a “reckless impeachment.”
GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, a freshman lawmaker, said she believes “we need to hold the president accountable.” But Mace went on to say that she’s against impeachment because of the “rushed” process, as Trump has just a week left in office. Prior to her comments in the House, Mace in various interviews said she worried that impeachment would further divide the country.
Based on polling, Republicans are positioning themselves against US voters.
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