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The Wall Street Journal's editorial board on Thursday urged President Trump to resign to avoid a second impeachment, saying his actions before and after Wednesday's deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol crossed a "constitutional line."
Why it matters: It is one of the strongest editorial board rebukes of the president by the WSJ, which is owned by conservative media mogul and former Trump confidante Rupert Murdoch. The board was generally favorable of Trump for much of his presidency.
What they’re saying: "In concise summary, on Wednesday the leader of the executive branch incited a crowd to march on the legislative branch," the WSJ editorial board wrote in a piece titled, "Donald Trump's Final Days."
- "When some in the crowd turned violent and occupied the Capitol, the President caviled and declined for far too long to call them off. When he did speak, he hedged his plea with election complaint," it added.
- "In our view it crosses a constitutional line that Mr. Trump hasn’t previously crossed. It is impeachable."
- “If Mr. Trump wants to avoid a second impeachment, his best path would be to take personal responsibility and resign."
- "We know an act of grace by Mr. Trump isn’t likely. In any case this week has probably finished him as a serious political figure. He has cost Republicans the House, the White House, and now the Senate."
"Worse, he has betrayed his loyal supporters by lying to them about the election and the ability of Congress and Mr. Pence to overturn it. He has refused to accept the basic bargain of democracy, which is to accept the result, win or lose.
"It is best for everyone, himself included, if he goes away quietly."— WSJ editorial board
Our thought bubble, via Axios’ Sara Fischer: This is a last-ditch effort by the WSJ editorial board to be on the right side of history in some ways.
Worth noting: Late last month, the WSJ published an editorial effectively accusing Trump of sabotaging Republicans' chances of winning the Georgia Senate runoffs with his push for $2,000 stimulus checks.
- That editorial came a day after the New York Post, another Murdoch publication, said Trump was "cheering for an undemocratic coup" with his efforts to overturn the election he lost.