On January 6, a mob of pro-Trump extremists fueled by the former President's lies about the integrity of U.S. elections stormed the United States Capitol, upending the joint congressional session to nationally certify the victory of then-President-elect Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race.
At least five people died as a result of the failed insurrection and the Capitol suffered broken windows, ransacked offices, and excrement smeared across its walls.
Exactly one week later—on January 13—the Democratic-led House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump for a historic second time. With 10 House Republicans voting in favor, it was the most bipartisan impeachment in American history.
As Trump's trial in the Senate commences, the vast majority of Republican lawmakers remain loyal to the former President, with many of them urging Democrats to move on from the unprecedented siege of the Capitol without holding Trump accountable.
Though Trump is no longer in office, a conviction by the Senate would present the option to bar him from holding public office again, snuffing the possibility of a run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is one of the Republican Senators opposed to recognizing the House's impeachment of Trump.
Rubio claimed that the House's impeachment isn't about accountability at all, but rather about "vengeance" against the former President.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)—who voted in favor of the House's impeachment measure—pushed back against Rubio's claim.
The Congresswoman—known colloquially as "AOC"—is a favorite enemy of the right wing for her progressive views, especially regarding her support for an overhaul of current environmental policy and for guaranteed healthcare to all Americans regardless of income. At least one Capitol rioter was arrested after calling for Ocasio-Cortez's assassination.
In addition to supporting the impeachment measure against Trump, the Congresswoman has also called on Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) to resign for their amplification of Trump's election lies on the Senate floor.
People sided with AOC in her terse guidance to Rubio.
Ocasio-Cortez was far from the only one to criticize Rubio's tweet.
On Tuesday, Senators were sworn in as jurors for Trump's impeachment trial after all but five Senate Republicans voted against its consideration.
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