The Daily Fuckup

House Democrats on Friday laid the groundwork for a fast impeachment push against Donald Trump after the attack on the Capitol, moving to prepare a process that could bring articles to the floor in short order. The effort came as lawmakers were still trying to finish certifying Joe Biden’s Electoral College win under extraordinary security, a scene that made clear how directly the riot had hit Congress and the transfer of power.

By that point, Democrats were no longer just condemning the violence. They were arguing that Trump’s repeated false claims about the election, his pressure campaign against Congress, and his language directed at supporters had helped set the stage for the mob that stormed the building. In a January 8 statement, House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats said Trump had instigated the attack and called for impeachment, removal from office and disqualification from future office. Other Democrats that day were also publicly pressing for impeachment or for the 25th Amendment to be used to remove him immediately.

The practical question on Friday was not whether the House was done with Trump, but how quickly it could respond. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, said the caucus was lining up members to speed impeachment through the Rules Committee so the House could act without holding hearings first. He said a committee vote and then a full House vote could come as soon as Monday, though no final schedule had been set. Pete Aguilar said the choice was between using the 25th Amendment or impeachment to remove Trump from office.

That left Speaker Nancy Pelosi balancing speed against timing and procedure, with some Democrats saying they wanted an immediate impeachment vote and others believing a short delay might create room for Trump’s resignation or for cabinet officials to move under the 25th Amendment. The result was a rapidly hardening view inside the caucus that Trump’s conduct after the Capitol assault could not be left to linger while he remained in office for nearly two more weeks.

The result was not yet an impeachment vote on Friday. It was a fast-building case for one. By the end of the day, House Democrats had moved from outrage to organization, treating Trump’s role in the attack as a matter for formal punishment rather than another burst of Trump-era chaos. The House would not actually vote to impeach him until January 13, but on January 8 the direction was clear: Democrats were moving to put his conduct into the constitutional record and to do it quickly.