Rep. David Cicilline (D., R.I.) on Wednesday said U.S. citizens will be living under a dictatorship if President Donald Trump isn't impeached.
"He tried to cheat to win reelection. And this wasn't an attack on Vice President Biden. This was an attack on our democracy," Cicilline said. "If we do not hold the president accountable today, we will no longer live in a democracy. We will live in a dictatorship where any future president will be free to abuse their office in order to get reelected."
Cicilline, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said members of Congress must make a decision on whether they will turn a blind eye to Trump's behavior or do what the Constitution demands.
"We are all Americans. Show the American people your devotion to your country is more powerful than your loyalty to your political party. United we can defend our democracy from all enemies, foreign and domestic," Cicilline said.
Cicilline isn't the first House Democrat to compare the Trump administration to a dictatorship. Rep. Ilhan Omar (Minn.) said in February that Trump has "the markings of a dictator." Rep. Jackie Speier (Calif.) said a couple months later that Trump has become a dictator.