Rep. Maxine Waters said Sunday she wants former President Donald Trump to be convicted by the Senate and prevented from holding public office again, warning “he will be attempting to take over legislatures, little towns and cities” to reclaim power if he isn’t stopped.
During an appearance on MSNBC, the California Democrat said she’s been sounding the alarm about how “dangerous” Mr. Trump is and that “he showed his power” during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot.
“I do believe he sent all of these domestic terrorists to the Capitol to take over the Capitol, and that includes not only the Proud Boys but the Oath Keepers, the QAnon, and White supremacists. These people have been aligned with him,” Ms. Waters said in a clip first highlighted by Breitbart News.
“And one of the things I hope that will be looked at as we take this impeachment to the Senate is the fact that in his campaign for reelection, he was paying the very organizers of the insurrection that took place,” the congresswoman said. “The names are right there. The amount of money that he paid to them, it is shown in the last report. More of it is going to show up in the next report that they have to do.
“I think it is very clear,” she added. “We cannot afford to allow this president to leave here without being impeached and absolutely convicted. We cannot allow him to leave and have all of the resources of the taxpayers to have not only money to hire staff, but to hire security and money to organize with. Because he will continue. He now knows, he has a population, he’s going to expand that. He will be attempting to take over legislatures, little towns and cities, and he doesn’t give a darn about the Constitution. And so our democracy is at stake. We must convict him, and we must take away his power.”
The House is set to officially send its article of impeachment to the Senate on Monday, charging Mr. Trump with inciting insurrection in the Capitol riot, with the trial set to begin the week of Feb. 8. If convicted, Mr. Trump can be disqualified from holding office ever again.
Some critics say the impeachment of Mr. Trump is moot, or even unconstitutional, now that he is no longer in office.
.@RepMaxineWaters: We cannot afford to allow this [former] president to leave here without being impeached and absolutely convicted. #SundayShow pic.twitter.com/J25pALkLMt
— The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart (@TheSundayShow) January 24, 2021
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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