With his presidency in tatters, the epilogue to Donald Trump’s tenure in the White House was being indelibly etched in history this week.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tabled articles of impeachment against the outgoing president on Monday for “incitement of insurrection” in connection with the attack on the Congress by a mob of Trump supporters last Wednesday.
It’s a crucial step in a series of measures aimed to forcibly remove Mr Trump from office if Vice President Mike Pence refuses to enact the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution which empowers him to move against the president, or unless Mr Trump voluntary resigns.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Mr Trump "represents an imminent threat" to the US Constitution and democracy.
The article of impeachment accused him of “high crimes and misdemeanours” saying he “gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government.”
This makes Mr Trump the only US president to have been impeached twice, which, despite the eventual outcome would be a further blemish on his already controversial presidency.
It also marks the culmination of a calamitous and tumultuous four years at the helm of the US government.
An inflammatory, rhetoric-laden address by Mr Trump at a Washington rally last Wednesday is widely regarded as the catalyst for the storming of the Congress, despite some of his supporters blaming it on “infiltrators”.
Five people died as a result of last Wednesday’s raid including a male police officer who succumbed to injuries inflicted by the rioters, and a female rioter who was shot by police.
Mr Trump has subsequently issued statements seeking to distance himself from the incident despite being widely seen as a key instigator.
Arrests continue to be made of many rioters captured on video. There has been no evidence so far that they are other than Trump supporters.
In addition to the legislative actions initiated against him for his role in what is referred to as the “insurrection”, Mr Trump has also been banned from several social media platforms for violating their codes against incitement.
His electoral organisation and the Republican Party have already faced a backlash with some funding support being withdrawn.
Several Republican politicians have distanced themselves from the besieged outgoing president with some calling on him to resign.
However, support for Donald Trump remains strong among his party political loyalists and his huge support base.
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