House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., argued against impeaching President Donald Trump on Jan. 13.
Democrats have pursued a quick second impeachment a week after President Donald Trump gave a speech they say incited insurrection. On Jan. 6, while Congress was in the process of counting electoral votes and certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s win, a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, clashed with police, and forced lawmakers to pause their sessions and evacuate to safety.
Scalise condemned the “unacceptable violence” and “anarchy” that took place in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, and said members of Congress needed to focus on “toning down the rhetoric” in the aftermath of the attack.
Scalise, who received protection from Capitol Police when he was shot during a Republican congressional baseball practice in 2017, thanked them again for their service during last week’s violence. But despite the attack, Scalise said he opposed impeaching Trump because he felt the process was rushed, and would “only serve to further divide a nation that is calling out for healing.” Scalise quoted a speech from President Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address in 1865, when he called on the nation “to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves.”
Scalise was the last Republican to speak before the resolution to impeach the president went to a vote.
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