VICE PRESIDENT PENCE WILL
PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID HE WILL
NOT BE THERE.
MINNESOTA CONGRESSWOMAN ILHAN
OMAR DRAFTED TWO OF THE
IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES ONE OVER
THE PHONE CALLS TO GEORGIA
OFFICIALS AND THE OTHER
INVOLVING THE MOB RIOT.
JOINING US IS CONGRESSWOMAN
ILHAN OMAR.
THANK YOU FOR VERY TIME THIS
MORNING.
CONGRESSWOMAN, YOU HAVE WRITTEN
THE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT,
AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TWO
ARTICLES.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT.
YES, WE BELIEVE THAT THE
EVENTS OF WEDNESDAY AND THE
EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE WITH THE
PRESIDENT WITH THE CALL TO THE
SECRETARY OF STATE OF GEORGIA
ARE BOTH AN ABUSE OF POWER AND
INCITEMENT OF INSURRECTION.
THE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT
INCIDENTS.
ALL RIGHT.
WILL THERE BE, DEFINITELY, A
VOTE ON IMPEACHMENT ON THE
FLOOR, WHETHER IT'S THE TWO
ARTICLES OR JUST THE ONE HAVING
TO DO WITH THE RIOT?
THAT IS OUR HOPE.
RIGHT NOW WE ARE STILL IN THE
PROCESS OF PUSHING OUR
COLLEAGUES TO COME TO THE
CONSENSUS TO REALIZE THAT THE
ACTIONS OF THE PRESIDENT ARE
DESERVING OF CONSEQUENCES.
THAT IF WE DO NOT TAKE
DECISIVE, EXPEDIENT DECISION ON
HOW TO DEAL WITH THESE ACTIONS,
WE RISK FURTHER DAMAGE TO OUR
DEMOCRACY, TO OUR REPUBLIC.
WE ALL UNDERSTAND QUITE
EMINENT THREAT WE FACE BECAUSE
OF THIS PRESIDENT, AND IT IS
REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO PUT
POLITICS ASIDE, FOR US TO NOT
REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT IT
MEANS AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW,
WORKING ON POLICIES, AND THE
TIME IT WOULD TAKE TO IMPEACH
HIM, BUT TO PRIORITIZE
FULFILLING OUR OATH OF OFFICE,
AND WE ARE CONSTITUTIONALLY
MANDATED TO PROTECT AND
PRESERVE OUR DEMOCRACY AND OUR
REPUBLIC, AND THIS MAN IS
CLEARLY EXHIBITING DANGERS TO
IT.
ALL RIGHT.
THE SENATE, APPARENTLY, IS NOT
IN SESSION ALL THIS NEXT WEEK,
AND THE SENATE IS SAYING THAT
IF THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE A
TRIAL IT WOULD BE AFTER THE NEW
PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT-ELECT
BIDEN IS SWORN IN, WHICH WOULD
MEAN THAT WOULD DOMINATE THE
FIRST WEEKS OF HIS TERM.
IS IT WORTH IMPEACHING
PRESIDENT TRUMP EVEN AFTER HE
LEAVES OFFICE?
SO I THINK IN REGARDS TO THE
PRACTICALITY OF WHAT WE HAVE TO
DO, OBVIOUSLY, THE HOUSE IS NOT
IN SESSION EITHER.
WE ARE COMING IN TOMORROW,
HOPEFULLY, TO INTRODUCE THESE
ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AND
THESE RESOLUTIONS, AND IT WILL
TAKE SOME TIME BEFORE WE ARE
FORMALLY CALLED BACK IN ORDER
FOR US TO DELIBERATE AND SET
THE GUIDELINES ON HOW TO
PROCEED, AND THE SENATE, AS YOU
ELUDED TO, IS NOT GOING TO BE
IN SESSION UNTIL THE 19th OF
JANUARY.
THAT'S THE DAY BEFORE A NEW
PRESIDENT GETTING INAUGURATED.
WE RISK, OBVIOUSLY, HAVING THIS
PROCESS OVERSHADOW EVERYTHING
THAT WE WANT TO DO ON BEHALF OF
THE COUNTRY, BUT TO ME, THERE
IS A GREATER RISK, AND THAT
GREATER RISK IS NOT HAVING
AND HIS ACTIONS, AND THOSE IN
THE HOUSE AND?
THE SENATE WHO HAVE ENABLED
THIS INSURRECTION AND ATTEMPTED
IF WE DO NOT TAKE ACTION, A
DECISIVE ACTION, THEN WE ARE
SENDING A MESSAGE TO THE
COUNTRY AND TO THE WORLD THAT
OURS IS ONE WHERE OUR DEMOCRACY
CAN COME UNDER SIEGE, OUR
CAPITOL, OUR NATION'S CAPITOL,
CAN BE THREATENED, AND WE LOOK
THE OTHER WAY, AND WE GO BACK
AND MOVE ON.
THAT IS NOT THE KIND OF MESSAGE
THAT WE WANT TO SEND, AND THAT
OF OFFICE REALLY IS.
HOW MUCH OF THE PUSH TO
IMPEACHMENT IS THE PART THAT
COULD GUARANTEE THAT HE WOULD
NOT BE ABLE OR ALLOWED TO RUN
FOR OFFICE EVER AGAIN?
IS THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU?
YES.
THAT IS IMPORTANT.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT, AGAIN,
THAT THERE HAS TO BE A
RECOGNITION THAT YOUR ACTIONS
AND DANGEROUS ACTIONS, AND
DEADLY ACTIONS, SUCH AS WHAT
HAPPENED ON WEDNESDAY, WARRANT
CONSEQUENCES.
IF WE DO NOT DO THAT, THEN
HISTORY WILL NOT LOOK KINDLY ON
US.
YOU MUST -- YOU HAVE
CALLED OUT BY THE PRESIDENT SO
MANY TIMES.
IT MUST HAVE BEEN FRIGHTENING
TO BE THERE, TO BE IN YOUR
SHOES, AND YOU ALSO HAVE A
FAMILY, AND IT MUST HAVE BEEN
FRIGHTENING FOR THEM.
YEAH.
IT WAS REALLY A HORRIFYING
EXPERIENCE, AND NOT JUST FOR
THE NATION AND THE WORLD, BUT
THOSE OF US WHO WERE CAUGHT UP
IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.
I, OBVIOUSLY, HAVE EXPERIENCED
A LOT OF SERIOUS THREATS
BECAUSE OF THIS PRESIDENT AND
AND I AM GRATEFUL FOR THAT.
I HAD THE FORTUNE OF BEING PUT
IN AN EXTREMELY SECURE PLACE
WITH THE LEADERS OF THE HOUSE
AND THE SENATE, BUT IT REALLY
IS AN EVENT THAT NONE OF US
HAVE EVER WANTED TO EXPERIENCE,
AND NOW THAT WE HAVE
EXPERIENCED IT, THERE HAS TO BE
ACTIONS THAT ARE TAKEN IN ORDER
TO AVOID THIS FROM HAPPENING
AGAIN.
ALL RIGHT, CONGRESSWOMAN
I THINK REGARDLESS OF POLITICS,
IT IS SUCH A TRAGEDY THAT FIVE
PEOPLE DIED, THAT OTHERS WERE
BADLY HURT, BUT WE ARE SO
FORTUNATE THAT MORE PEOPLE WERE
NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED OR EVEN
KILLED.
LIKEWISE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.