Trump incited Capitol ‘insurrection’ to overturn election loss, Democrats claim in impeachment report

Third-ranking House Republican Liz Cheney will vote against president for ‘betrayal’ of office

Donald Trump incited a Capitol “insurrection” to overturn his 2020 election loss, Democrats have claimed in their impeachment report.

The scathing report was written as lawmakers prepare to impeach Mr Trump for an unprecedented second time for his role in the violent siege in Washington DC last week.

“The House must reject this outrageous attempt to overturn the election and this incitement of violence by a sitting president against his own government,” the report states.

"President Trump committed a high Crime and Misdemeanor against the Nation by inciting an insurrection at the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential Election. 

"The facts establish that he is unfit to remain in office a single day longer and warrant the immediate impeachment of President Trump.

The 76-page report was issued the day before the House is set to vote to impeach the outgoing president on Wednesday.

 It also states that Mr Trump, in his efforts to overturn the election, may have committed federal crimes that he can be prosecuted for after he leaves the White House.

“Ultimately, that is a judgment for prosecutors and courts to make,” the report states.

As the report was made public, the third-ranking House Republican Liz Cheney announced that she would support the impeachment of Mr Trump.

“There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,” said the Wyoming congresswoman.

Ms Cheney’s support for inauguration, along with at least two other House Republicans, means that the impeachment effort will be a bi-partisan one.

The vote would come exactly a week after the Trump riot that saw his supporters storm the US Capitol to try and prevent Joe Biden’s election victory being certified by lawmakers.

Five people, including a US Capitol police officer, were killed in the mayhem that followed Mr Trump’s rally where he urged them to march on Capitol Hill.

After a lengthy delay caused by the chaotic scenes the House and Senate reconvened and confirmed Mr Biden’s win over Mr Trump.

Earlier Mr Trump gave his first live speech since the violence and called his supporters who stormed the building a “mob."

But Mr Trump also warned Democrats not to remove him from office in his final days, through either the 25th amendment or impeachment.

“It's causing tremendous anger and division and pain far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time,” Mr Trump said on Tuesday at a segment of the US-Mexico border wall in Alamo, Texas.