(1/x) President Donald Trump should be impeached and it should have been done yesterday.

Yes—I know his term is almost over.
Yes—I know conviction is unlikely.

Political calculations do not matter.

The Wednesday incursion was a terrorist attack against the United States.

(2/x) Five people were killed during the riot and it could have been worse. Thank God there wasn’t even more bloodshed.

I fear the lack of hostages, explosions or high-profile injuries has many writing off the Capitol attack as just another riot.

It’s much worse than that.

(3/x) These were not just rioters. They were political extremists encouraged by a head of state.

They were not protesting for change. They were using the threat of force to override the rule of law.

They roamed the halls of Congress with firearms and flags of a hostile nation.

(4/x) An insurgent broke into the office of the third person in the line of succession, put his feet on her desk, circulated a photo online, and left with a trophy.

If something like this happened in a foreign nation, the United States would sent soldiers and weapons.

(5/x) The President of the United States is responsible for this act of terror.

I feel numb writing this.

After the trillions of dollars and countless lives consumed by a War on Terror that never really ended, it was not a foreign combatant that invaded.

It was our own.

(6/x) President Trump’s culpability is clear and straightforward. He spent two months pouring gasoline on his base, claiming his election loss was the result of a vast conspiracy by his political opponents. He promised evidence that was never delivered.

(7/x) He repeated his claims of widespread election fraud even after federal courts at every level rejected his legal efforts. He used his massive online following to pressure and threaten lawmakers with political retribution for not aiding his efforts.

(8/x) He pressured Georgia’s Secretary of State to conjure the exact number of votes needed to reverse the state’s outcome. He accused his Vice President of lacking courage for refusing to exercise unconstitutional power for his benefit. He encouraged his supporters to flood DC.

(9/x) The President stood before his supporters the morning of January 6 and encouraged them to “fight like hell” as Congress convened to certify his defeat.

When the Capitol was breached, he delayed in deploying reinforcements and publicly praised the insurgents.

(10/x) In the aftermath, the growing list of reactions from parties across the board is extraordinary:

- The House will likely move forward with impeachment on Monday

- Two Cabinet members, the Capitol Police chief, and two top national security aides have resigned

(11/x) Along with over 200 lawmakers, parties calling for the President’s resignation or removal include:

- The Washington Post
- The Wall Street Journal
- The New York Times
- Five Governors (IL, MA, MD, NC, VT)

At least two Republican Senators are open to impeachment.

(12/x) Members of Congress are openly demanding resignations from other members. Freshman Rep. Cori Bush penned a resolution to expel Republican members for echoing President Trump. State lawmakers are calling on their Congressional delegations to resign over their involvement.

(13/x) None of this is remotely normal.

None of this is comparable to the George Floyd protests, which brought forth a halfhearted attempt at policing reform.

None of this warrants any whataboutism or concern for furthering division or platitudes about healing and unity.

(14/x) Following the attack, Maine Senator Angus King spoke of the propensity for monarchy, dictatorship and authoritarianism throughout world history—emphasizing that as a longstanding democratic republic, the United States is an anomaly.