What to watch for as the House weighs impeaching Trump

WASHINGTON — By the end of the day Wednesday President Donald Trump is expected to go down in history as the only chief executive of the United States to be impeached not once, but twice — but not until after a daylong debate.

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to take up an article of impeachment first thing Wednesday morning and debate through the day its charges that Trump incited a mob of his loyalists who ransacked the Capitol last week.

The only one who can stop that House process is Vice President Mike Pence.

In a resolution expected to be adopted Tuesday evening, the House called on Pence to remove Trump from office immediately under the 25th Amendment, but Pence ruled out using the 25th Amendment to remove Trump, urging Congress to focus on the Biden transition and avoid impeachment.

The debate is expected to begin in earnest around midday and last throughout the afternoon, with a vote likely in the evening.

Here is what to watch for on this historic day.

How many Republicans ayes?

No Republicans voted for the first impeachment of Trump on charges that he abused his power in urging the president of Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden and his son Hunter in a phone call last July, but that will change this time around.

Rep. John Katko (R-Syracuse) on Tuesday afternoon became the first to announce he would vote for impeachment. He was soon joined by Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the third-ranking House Republican.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told his caucus to vote their consciences. But will there be enough support among House Republicans to sway Senate Republicans to vote to convict Trump?

Will tempers flare?

Democrats have gotten angrier as evidence has emerged that the attack on Congress to disrupt the counting of electoral votes on Jan. 6 that certified the election of Biden as president was planned and not spontaneous.

Emotions run high on both sides — even in the Long Island delegation.

Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) in a phone interview Tuesday took Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) to task for saying impeachment would only divide the country more after he voted on Jan. 6 to object to two state’s electoral slates following the mob action.

"How dare you. How dare you," Rice said she’d tell Zeldin. "You have been one of the biggest perpetrators of the big lie that this election was stolen from Donald Trump? Where were your concerns about dividing the country when you were perpetrating those lies?"

Zeldin in turn has accused Democrats of hypocrisy. "It's an incredible double standard when those who failed to condemn violence in Seattle, Portland, Chicago, Kenosha, DC, NY, etc become holier than thou," he tweeted Sunday. "Or when suddenly, 1/6 objections used by Dems to object to every GOP presidential win in the past generation is now treason."

What will Trump do?

Trump has not said if he will watch the House debate his impeachment, but he’s aware that he again will be the center of attention in a rare and drastic constitutional drama.

Trump brushed off any suggestion that his decision to hold a rally and to deliver a fiery speech urging his followers to be "strong," to "fight" and to march to the Capitol led many of his supporters to make the deadly attack on Congress as lawmakers certified Biden’s electoral victory.

"People thought that what I said was totally appropriate," Trump told reporters as he left for an event near the Texas-Mexico border to celebrate the nearly 500 miles of wall he has built.

What will he say when the House votes to impeach him on charges that contradict him?

Fear and lockdown

Will there be another violent attack on the Capitol Wednesday?

Many lawmakers worry about a repeat of last week’s deadly violence at the Capitol Wednesday during the impeachment proceedings — and for the week leading up to the Jan. 20 inauguration of Biden as president.

FBI warnings of right-wing plots before or during that ceremonial transfer of power have heightened the sense of fear and unease that pervades the Capitol.

Authorities have stepped up security after Trump issued an emergency declaration for the nation’s capital that begins Wednesday and continues through Jan. 24, erecting tall chain-link non-scalable fences around Capitol grounds and posting national guard members at entrances.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told members Tuesday they will be screened by magnetometers on their way to the House chamber — and she reminded them to wear a mask and to leave their firearms in their offices.

Will the Senate act?

After the House approves the charge of impeachment, the Senate must hold a trial and vote on whether to convict. A year ago, the Senate voted along party lines against impeachment.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is exploring immediately convening the Senate for Trump’s impeachment trial as soon as the House votes and sends the article of impeachment to the chamber.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has so far refused to call the Senate back from recess before it reconvenes on Jan. 19, but reportedly is warming to the idea of using impeachment to rid the GOP of Trump.

A decision could be announced soon.