House of Representatives meets for impeachment vote

The US Senate's Republican majority leader said that the Senate cannot conduct a "fair or serious" trial of Mr Trump in the short time frame before he leaves office next week.

"Given the rules, procedures, and Senate precedents that govern presidential impeachment trials, there is simply no chance that a fair or serious trial could conclude before President-elect (Joe) Biden is sworn in next week," Mitch McConnell said in a statement.

"But make no mistake, there will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate," Mr Schumer said in a statement.

The House passed a single article of impeachment - a formal charge - accusing Mr Trump of "incitement of insurrection," focused upon an incendiary speech he delivered to thousands of supporters shortly before the pro-Trump mob rampaged through the Capitol.

"The president of the United States incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion against our common country," Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said on the House floor before the vote.

The impeachment comes at a time of gaping political divisions in a pandemic-weary United States near the end of a tumultuous presidency in which Mr Trump governed with a right-wing populist message preaching "America First.".

Congresswoman Maxine Waters accused Mr Trump of wanting civil war and fellow Democrat Jim McGovern said the president "instigated an attempted coup".

"Impeaching the president in such a short time frame would be a mistake," said Kevin McCarthy, the House's top Republican.

"This is about getting the president of the United States," said Mr Jordan, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Mr Trump in a private White House ceremony this week.

"I am not choosing a side, I'm choosing truth," Republican Jamie Herrera Beutler said in announcing her support for impeachment, drawing applause from Democrats

The House impeached Mr Trump after he ignored calls for his resignation and Mr Pence rebuffed Democratic demands to invoke a constitutional provision to remove the president

The House previously voted to impeach Mr Trump in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress stemming from his request that Ukraine investigate Mr Biden and his son Hunter ahead of the election, as Democrats accused him of soliciting foreign interference to smear a domestic political rival