Republicans have been divided on whether or not President Donald Trump should be impeached for his role in the Capitol Hill riots that took place last week. House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) is the first member of leadership to step forward, saying she would vote to impeach the president.
"On January 6, 2021 a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes. This insurrection caused injury, death and destruction to the most sacred space in our Republic," Cheney said in a statement.
"Much more will become clear in the coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack," she explained. "Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President."
According to the No. 3 Republican, President Trump could have came forward "immediately and forcefully" to "stop the violence" but he chose not to.
"There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution," Cheney concluded. "I will vote to impeach the President."
The news comes after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) reportedly told his Republican colleagues that President Trump committed impeachable offenses, a green light for impeachment proceedings to move forward.
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Although House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is personally opposed to impeachment and wants to see other areas of concerns addressed first, he's not standing in the way of his caucus pursuing that path.
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) has said he supporters impeachment. Others, like freshman Congressman Peter Meijer (R-MI), have said they are seriously contemplating it.
The House is expected to bring forward a vote on articles of impeachment on Wednesday.
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