Rep. Ilhan Omar compares impeaching Trump to holding a 'murderer' accountable



Progressive Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar (Minn.) recently argued that efforts to impeach President Donald Trump are similar to the need to "hold a murderer" accountable for their crimes.

Omar made the comments during an interview with MSNBC anchor Hallie Jackson on Tuesday, during which the congresswoman defended Democratic efforts to impeach the president, accusing him of rousing a mob of his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol last week.

"I know that some have likened the reaction that we are getting, obviously, from the president and some of, you know, Democrats and some Republicans in Congress, to someone saying, you know, if we were to hold a murderer or someone who has committed violence accountable, there will be more. And to me, it is really the — having consequences for actions that act as a deterrent," Omar said.

"We know that some have said he's learned his lesson, some have also used childlike analogies to talk about he has put his hand on a stove and he is now burned and he won't do it again, but this is not just about him. This is about fulfilling our oath of office. And if we do not take that serious [sic], I don't know how we can continue to be members of Congress and say that we are to protect our country from domestic enemies," she added.

Ilhan Omar: The Need to Impeach Trump Is Just Like the Need to 'Hold a Murderer' Accountable youtu.be

Omar had previously argued that Republicans had "blood on their hands" as a result of the riot.

The shocking incident, which resulted in the deaths of five people and injuries to many more, took place last Wednesday after the president delivered an impassioned speech to hundreds of thousands of supporters gathered in Washington, D.C., asking them to "peacefully and patriotically" protest the results of the election.

Tragically, hundreds of the supporters opted to make their voices heard through violence by fighting with police, breaching security perimeters, and invading the Capitol where Congress had convened to certify President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory.

In his first public comments since last week, the president characterized the latest impeachment effort as a "continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics" and argued that continuing on with impeachment would only cause "tremendous anger."

He also defended his speech before the violence, saying it was "totally appropriate."

"If you read my speech — and many people have done it, and I've seen it both in the papers and in the media, on television — it has been analyzed, and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate," he said. "They've analyzed my speech and my words and my final paragraph, my final sentence, and everybody to a T thought it was totally appropriate."

Rep. Ilhan Omar says she is drawing up articles of impeachment against President Trump over Capitol rioting



Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota tweeted that she was drawing up articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump over the rioting Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol against the certification of the Electoral College results.

Omar tweeted the announcement as the Secret Service and the Capitol police were attempting to evacuate the Capitol building in order to regain control.

"I am drawing up Articles of Impeachment. Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate," Omar tweeted.

I am drawing up Articles of Impeachment. Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & re… https://t.co/wRoRDopWYL
— Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan Omar)1609969088.0

"We can't allow him to remain in office, it's a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath," she added.

Other Democrats called for the president's removal over the rioting, including Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.

"This is on Donald Trump, period. He called folks to D.C. and gave them marching orders. He needs to be impeached and removed immediately," Tlaib said.

Tens of thousands of supporters of the president participated in a rally at the Ellipse near the White House to protest the scheduled certification of the results of the presidential election. Rallygoers then marched to the U.S. Capitol, which turned into a riot when some protesters forced their way into the Capitol building and broke into lawmakers' offices.

President Trump later called for rioters to act peacefully and then posted a video statement asking for them to go home, while reiterating his claims that the election was stolen from him.

Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives in December 2019 over claims of abuse of power, but he was not removed by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate. If impeached a second time, he would be the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice.

The president has just 14 days left in office before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20.

Here's more about the assault on Capitol Hill:

Pro-Trump protesters storm US Capitolwww.youtube.com