The House of Representatives approved the preliminary vote to impeach US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, a week before his term in office is to end. Trump faces the charge of 'incitement of insurrection' in the impeachment.
The motion to impeach the president passed 221 to 203, with five Republican lawmakers deciding to vote with their Democratic colleagues against the president. The vote allows for the opening of a two-hour debate, at the end of which the final vote on the issue will take place.
This would be the second time the Democratic House has voted to impeach Trump. He was first impeached in December 2019 over comments he made in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The Senate voted to acquit Trump in February 2020.
The second impeachment focuses on allegations that Trump incited the riots which took place last week when a mob of his supporters broke into the Capitol building as Congress was certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. Five people died during the riots, including a police officer who was bludgeoned to death and a female protestor who was shot to death,