Impeaching Donald Trump: AAPI members of Congress vote along party lines

SCREEN CAPTURE / C-SPAN

Rep. Ted Lieu will manage Donald Trump's impeachment in front of the U.S. Senate.

On Korean American Day, the four Korean American Congressmembers split along party lines on the initiative to impeach Donald Trump. The day commemorates the arrival of the first Koreans to the U.S. in 1903.

Democrats Andy Kim (NJ) and Marilyn Strickland (WA) voted Wednesday (Jan. 13)  for impeachment and California Republicans Young Kim and Michelle Steel voted no.

With a vote of 232 to 197, the House of Representatives charged Trump with "incitement of insurrection" for his role in the violent takeover byTrump supporters and white supremacists of the U.S. Capitol building that left five people dead and terrorized lawmakers as they sought to confirm the Electoral College votes that gave President-elect Joe Biden a victory last Nov. 3.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named Rep. Ted Lieu, D-CA, to manage the impeachment and argue for conviction in front of the Senate.

Unlike 13 months ago when the House voted for the first impeachment of Trump and the vote was strictly along party lines, 10 Republicans crossed party lines this time to vote with the Democrats, including Rep. Liz Cheney, the third highest ranking Republican in the House.

With the exception of first-term lawmakers Young Kim and Steel, the other  AAPI Representatives are Democrats and voted for impeachment along party lines. Besides the aforementioned Strickland, Andy Kim. They include: Californians Ted Lieu, Ro Khanna, Mark Takano, Judy Chu, Ami Bera, Doris Matsui and newly installed Kai Kahele of Hawaii, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Grace Meng of New York, Virginia's Bobby Scott and Stephanie Murphy of Florida.

"The bipartisan vote reaffirms that security of our democracy is our first priority," said Congressman Scott, who is of Filipino descent. "I hope the Senate will convict/remove Donald Trump and we can move forward from this dark chapter."

“It is not with joy that I have voted to impeach the President for a second time. I am taking a stand to ensure the future for our children and grandchildren," said Rep. Matsui. "When we are asked by future generations what we did, we must be able to tell them that we fulfilled our obligation to keep our democracy strong. (Trump) remains a clear and present danger to our nation as long as he is able to hold elected office, and that is why we acted to impeach him immediately.”

“Today’s impeachment is not about dividing this country. It’s about uniting all patriotic Americans against the unconstitutional actions of an out-of-control president—a president who incited insurrection against our great nation,” said Florida's Murphy. (Murphy's full statement is below.)

Trump is the only U.S. President to be impeached twice. Trump's was impeached in 2019 for trying to get Ukraine officials to dig up dirt of alleged corrupt business dealings = by Hunter Biden, the son of President-elect Joe Biden. The allegations, which proved untrue, were, nevertheless, raised by Trump against Biden during the campaign. The Senate rejected the impeachment.

The current charge of impeachment against Trump claims Trump "incited an insurrection" against Congress when he spoke at a rally of people who believed Trump's lies claiming that the 2020 Presidential election was rigged and that he actually won. 

The "incitement of insurrection" article of impeachment was introduced Monday by three House Democrats: Ted Lieu of California , Jaime Raskin of Maryland and David Cicilline of Rhode Island.

Lieu got the impeachment ball rolling while insurrectionists were roaming the halls of the Capitol after breaking through the lines of overwhelmed police officers  He texted the Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee about the need to impeach.

“I was just super pissed off,” said Lieu, an officer in the Air Force Reserves and represents a district that includes parts of  Los Angeles and Hollywood.

The impeachment is like an indictment and the hearing before the U.S. Senate is like a trial. Chief Justice Roberts will preside and two-thirds of the Senators present is needed for a conviction. The Senate is not set to meet until Jan.1 19, a day before Biden's inauguration so the articles of impeachment would likely be presented to the newly constituted Senate that will be controlled by the Democrats.

A former president can still be found guilty by the Senate. While the main penalty for a guilty verdict in an impeachment trial is removal from office, senators could vote to bar Trump from holding office in the future. That's an important incentive for both parties becuase Trump has not ruled out running for president in 2024. He could also lose his six-figure pension and other post-presidential perks.

The final text for impeachment states: “President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government. He thereby betrayed his trust as president, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.”