Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, surrounded by some of her fellow Democrats, prepares to sign the article of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the US Capitol on January 13, 2021. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
(CNSNews.com) – The second impeachment of President Donald Trump isn’t just about “incitement.”
It’s also about crushing any lingering notion that the 2020 election was “stolen,” as Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Thursday.
“The Biden administration will be inaugurated on January 20th. Nothing is going to stop that. And that is why you see a lot of anger and rage out there. And all Donald Trump has to say to calm tensions down is one sentence — the election was not stolen.
“If he would simply tell that truth, we wouldn’t need 20,000 National Guard in D.C. We wouldn’t have 50 state capitals now under potential attack. So I’m calling for GOP leaders and Donald Trump to just say that one sentence, the election was not stolen.”
President Trump, in a videotaped statement released on Wednesday, did not say anything about the election or his impeachment. Instead, Trump said “no true supporter” of his would engage in vandalism and violence, and he said there should be no repeats of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol:
“There has been reporting that additional demonstrations are being planned in the coming days, both here in Washington and across the country. I have been briefed by the U.S. Secret Service on the potential threats,” Trump said.
“Every American deserves to have their voice heard in a respectful and peaceful way. That is your First Amendment right. But I cannot emphasize that there must be no violence, no law breaking and no vandalism of any kind. Everyone must follow our laws and obey the instructions of law enforcement. I have directed federal agencies to use all necessary resources to maintain order.”
Lieu is among the impeachment managers named by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and he is calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to “have the trial as soon as possible.”
“And what is the Senate doing that’s so important, that’s so urgent right now? Nothing,” Lieu said. “They’re at home. They can have a trial on Friday. They could have it next Monday.”
McConnell has said there will be no trial before Joe Biden’s inauguration.
President Trump has insisted that the election was “rigged,” but his own Attorney General William Barr said in early December, “We have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”
The Trump Campaign’s many election-related lawsuits have been tossed out of courts across the country, some on technicalities, others on the merits.