MP: Trump impeachment a lesson for leaders

THE second impeachment of US President Donald Trump on Wednesday is the result of what happens when leaders divide a nation.

This was the opinion of UNC Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal to this historic development.

Moonilal said, "The United States is a strong and mature democracy. Regrettably, this is their reality. It is a lesson for us, that national leaders cannot divide the society on race, class and false notions of entitlement and victimhood."

In these circumstances, Moonilal observed that TT should count its blessings.

"Our nation remains a beacon of hope and an example to the world of harmony and unity, notwithstanding our challenges."

The US House of Representatives impeached Trump for a second time on Wednesday, charging him with "incitement of insurrection" for his role in the violent riot by a pro-Trump mob of the US Capitol that left five people dead and terrorised lawmakers as they sought to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

The vote to impeach passed the Democratic-controlled House 232 to 197, with ten Republicans voting against the president. The House is expected to immediately send the article of impeachment to the Senate for them to begin the process of holding a trial to determine whether to convict Trump and potentially bar him from ever running for any office again.

Trump was first impeached on December 18, 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of the US Congress. He was acquitted by the US Senate on February 5, 2020.

His first impeachment came after a formal House inquiry alleged that he had solicited foreign interference in the 2020 US presidential election to help his re-election bid, and then obstructed the inquiry itself by telling his administration officials to ignore subpoenas for documents and testimony. Trump is the only president in the US' history to have been impeached twice.

The only other US presidents to be impeached (once) were Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998.