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https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/10/politics/pat-toomey-trump-resign-capitol-riot-cnntv/index.html
Toomey says Trump should resign and could face 'criminal liability'
(CNN)Sen. Pat Toomey said Sunday that President Donald Trump should resign from office and could face "criminal liability" after the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol, becoming the second Republican senator to call for the President's resignation.
"I
think at this point, with just a few days left, it's the best path
forward, the best way to get this person in the rearview mirror for us
that could happen immediately," the Pennsylvania Republican told CNN's
Jake Tapper on "State of the Union." "I'm not optimistic it will. But I
think that would be the best way forward."
Toomey
joins a growing number of Republicans who want the President out of
office before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in as the next
president on January 20. He is now the second Republican US senator to
call for Trump's resignation. On Friday, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski told the Anchorage Daily News, "I want him out. He has caused enough damage."
On Saturday, Toomey said that he thinks
Trump has "committed impeachable offenses," but that he is not certain
attempting to remove the President days before he leaves office is the
right action to take. He doubled down on that point Sunday but also said
it's possible Trump could face consequences for inciting the riot.
"I
think there is also a possibility that there is criminal liability
here. I'm not a lawyer. I'm not a prosecutor," he told Tapper. "So ...
you know, the standard for a conviction in a criminal prosecution is
quite high."
Maryland
Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican who has also called for Trump's
resignation, said Sunday that the President is responsible for the siege
at the Capitol, adding that he is "embarrassed and ashamed" of some GOP
members of Congress who continue to support Trump after the deadly
riot.
"There
is no question in my mind that he was -- he was responsible for
inciting this, this riotous mob. This was an insurrection," Hogan told
Tapper on the same program Sunday. "You know, they stormed the Capitol,
and threatened to kill the vice president and put the lives of people in
danger. And he had a huge part, a huge role to play in that."
House Democrats are set to introduce their impeachment resolution
against Trump on Monday. A draft of the resolution, which consists of
one article of impeachment for inciting an insurrection, already has
more than 190 co-sponsors. By impeaching and removing Trump, even at
this late stage of his term, the Senate could subsequently vote to
disqualify him from ever holding federal office again, taking an
extraordinary action against a former president.
Sen.
Joe Manchin told Tapper on Sunday "there's no doubt" Trump should be
impeached, but that he's not sure the move would be practical.
"There
is no doubt about it he should be impeached, basically. But if we can't
do it -- you have to be practical about what we are doing now, Jake,"
the West Virginia Democrat said. "You got two paths to go. We are about
ready to install a new government. If I was Joe Biden, I'd want to be
able to put my government together, start putting confidence back into
the American people that we can govern ourselves and be the beacon of
light for the whole country and the whole world. That's what we need to
do."
This is story has been updated with additional details Sunday.
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