Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney Says She Will Vote to Impeach Trump Over Capitol Riot

Blake Montgomery
Erin Scott/Reuters
Erin Scott/Reuters

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) said Tuesday that she would vote to impeach President Donald Trump for inciting the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol last week.

“What we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing,” Cheney wrote in a statement. “There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution. I will vote to impeach the President.”

Cheney is the second House Republican to vow to follow Democrats in impeaching Trump after Rep. John Katko (R-NY) said he would earlier Tuesday. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) has said he supports impeachment but has not clarified if he will vote for it.

Over 200 House Democrats have committed to voting in favor of removing Trump from office and barring him from running for federal office again. If articles of impeachment pass in the House, the matter will move to the Senate for a trial and a vote.

Earlier in the day, Trump defended his conduct during the insurrection and denied any personal responsibility for his supporters’ actions. It was his first public appearance since the disastrous events in the Capitol.

“People thought that what I said was totally appropriate. I want no violence,” he said. “For Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to continue on this path, I think it’s causing tremendous danger to our county and it's causing tremendous anger.”

Trump Defends ‘Totally Appropriate’ Rally Speech That Incited Capitol Mob

Cheney disagreed with Trump’s defense, saying, “The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not.”

Moments before the mob of extremists stormed the Capitol Wednesday, Trump told them to “fight like hell” against the certification of Joe Biden as president.

“And after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you… We are going to the Capitol,” he said in a speech on the National Mall that preceded the takeover.

Trump has not condemned the insurrection attempt, instead saying to his supporters who were in the Capitol, “We love you” and “you’re very special.”

It was Vice President Mike Pence who dispatched federal authorities to halt the Capitol takeover. Trump initially resisted disrupting the attack, reportedly happy his supporters were fighting so hard to disrupt the certification of the November election results.

Federal authorities have said they warned lawmakers and Capitol Police of the potential for violence on Jan. 6 months in advance, calling into question why law enforcement seemed so ill-prepared for the attack. Five people died, including a Capitol Police officer.

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