WASHINGTON (TIP): Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said that Trump has “acted shamefully” and that he would “definitely consider” any articles of impeachment approved by the House – but he stopped short of calling for Trump’s immediate removal from office in Friday morning media interviews.

The comments from Sasse, who has been far more vocal in his criticism of Trump than most Republicans, come as the Democratic-led House is considering voting on impeachment articles against Trump as early as next week in response to Wednesday’s takeover of the Capitol by his supporters.

“Donald Trump has acted shamefully,” Sasse said on “CBS This Morning.” “He has been in flagrant dereliction of his duty, and he will be remembered for having incited this and for having drawn more division into an already divided people. That is who Donald Trump is. That is what his legacy is going to be.” Pressed on what should happen procedurally, Sasse said he would “definitely consider whatever articles [the House] might move,” calling Trump’s actions “wicked.” But Sasse said the most important question isn’t what happens to Trump in his remaining days in office. “The most important question is … how we bring the country back together,” he said.In a separate interview, Sasse blamed Trump for the violence at the Capitol. “It was ransacked by a mob that was incited by the president of the United States,” Sasse told syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt. “The president had a rally hours before this happened where he is telling them to go to the Capitol and go wild. … The guy is addicted to division. This is a deep brokenness in his soul.” Sasse voted against removing Trump from office at his Senate impeachment trial last year.

Rep. Clark says House could vote to impeach Trump by middle of next week

Rep. Katherine M. Clark (D-Mass.), a member of the House leadership, said Friday, January 8,  that the chamber could vote to impeach Trump by the middle of next week if Pence does not initiate proceedings for the Cabinet to remove him from office under the 25th Amendment. Calling Trump “a traitor” in the wake of Wednesday’s storming of the Capitol by some of his supporters, Clark said on CNN that “we can act very quickly when we want to.” Clark holds the title of assistant speaker, the No. 4 leadership position in the House caucus. House Democrats are scheduled to discuss the prospect of moving on impeachment during a conference call on Friday.

“Donald Trump needs to be removed from office,” Clark said. “And we are going to proceed with every tool that we have to make sure that happens to protect our democracy … We have a president who incited a seditious mob to storm the Capitol. … We have a president who has turned on us. He is a traitor.”

If Trump is impeached for a second time by the House, it is unclear whether the Republican-controlled Senate would hold a trial before he leaves office on Jan. 20.