Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., chair of the House Republican Conference, announced that she will vote to impeach President Donald Trump.
Liz Cheney is the first member of House GOP leadership to support Trump's impeachment. Cheney's statement issued on Tuesday evening shows her frustration about the mob that stormed the US Capitol on January 6.
"Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough," her statement reads. "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."
The third-ranking Republican official explained: "None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution."
The House vote on impeachment is expected to happen on Wednesday, one week after Trump supporters attached the Capitol. The incident forced lawmakers to postpone their constitutional duty of counting the Electoral College votes from the Nov. 3 election. The article of impeachment states that Trump incited the insurrection.
Meanwhile, Trump described the move to impeach him as "ridiculous" and believes it is "causing tremendous danger to our country."
Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, will vote yes on impeachment together with Republican colleagues Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, John Katko of New York, and Fred Upton of Michigan.
"There is no doubt in my mind that the President of the United States broke his oath of office and incited this insurrection," Kinzinger said in her statement. "So in assessing the articles of impeachment brought before the House, I must consider: if these actions – the Article II branch inciting a deadly insurrection against the Article I branch – are not worthy of impeachment, then what is an impeachable offense?"
Katko also issued a statement on Tuesday stating, "It cannot be ignored that President Trump encouraged this insurrection."
"To allow the President of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy. For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action," he said.
However, Upton is reluctant, saying in a statement he would have preferred censure to a longer impeachment trial, "But it is time to say: Enough is enough."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., lauded Cheney's decision before the press on Capitol Hill on Tuesday night: "Good for her to be honoring the oath of office. Would that more Republicans would be honoring their oaths of office now."
The US House of Representatives voted to call on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment of the Constitution for the removal of President Donald Trump from office eight days before his term ends.
A two-thirds majority is required to impeach Trump. This means at least 17 Republicans need to join Democrats in the vote for conviction. The New York Times reported that there are 20 Senate Republicans who are willing to convict the president.
