WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday she will consult with fellow Democrats in coming days about the Senate’s readiness to begin an impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“I’ll be talking with the managers as to when the Senate will be ready for the trial of the then-president of the United States for his role in instigating an insurrection on the Capitol of the United States,” Pelosi told reporters at a briefing.
A source familiar with the investigation said Pelosi could send the article of impeachment to the Senate as early as Friday. The source spoke on condition of anonymity.
On Jan. 13 the House approved one article of impeachment against Trump, making him the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice. Now it is up to the Democratic-controlled Senate to decide whether Trump is guilty of the incitement charge. A two-thirds vote would be needed for the first-ever conviction of a U.S. president.
“He roused the troops, he urged them on to fight like hell, he sent them on their way to the Capitol,” Pelosi said of Trump’s actions in the run-up to the mob pushing through security and running throughout the building that houses the Senate and the House.
The attack on the Capitol came as Congress was formally certifying Congress’ certification of Democratic President Joe Biden’s victory in his race against Republican Trump last November.
(Reporting by Makini Brice, Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis)
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