US House opens Donald Trump's impeachment session

The US House of Representatives has opened a historic session on the second impeachment of President Donald Trump over his support for the last week attack on the Capitol that left five people dead.

The bipartisan effort started in the lower chamber of US Congress on Wednesday in an attempt to remove Trump from office before his tenure ends on January 20.

“Mr. Speaker, we are debating this historic measure at an actual crime scene, and we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the president of the United States,” Representative Jim McGovern, Democrat of Massachusetts and the Rules Committee chairman, said as he opened the debate.

The lame duck president has been blamed for inciting an insurrection when the lawmakers were busy certifying the victory of President-elect Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

“I can think of no action the House can take that is more likely to further divide the American people,” said Representative Tom Cole, a Republican from Oklahoma.

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