PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN, DEMOCRAT

"I hope that the Senate leadership will find a way to deal with their Constitutional responsibilities on impeachment while also working on the other urgent business of this nation. From confirmations to key posts such as secretaries for homeland security, state, defence, treasury, and director of national intelligence, to getting our vaccine program on track, and to getting our economy going again. Too many of our fellow Americans have suffered for too long over the past year to delay this urgent work," Biden said in a statement.

HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI, DEMOCRAT

"Today, in a bipartisan way, this House demonstrated that no one is above the law - not even the president of the United States, that Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to our country, and that once again we honoured our oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help us God," Pelosi said at the Capitol.

SENATE LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL, REPUBLICAN

"Even if the Senate process were to begin this week and move promptly, no final verdict would be reached until after President Trump had left office... In light of this reality, I believe it will best serve our nation if Congress and the executive branch spend the next seven days completely focused on facilitating a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power to the incoming Biden Administration," McConnell said in a statement.

SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER

"Donald Trump has deservedly become the first president in American history to bear the stain of impeachment twice over. The Senate is required to act and will proceed with his trial and hold a vote on his conviction. Despite the efforts of Donald Trump and violent insurrectionists, America is not a dictatorship...

"The president of the United States incited a violent mob against the duly elected government of the United States in a vicious, depraved and desperate attempt to remain in power. For the sake of our democracy, it cannot and must not be tolerated, excused, or go unpunished," Schumer said in a statement.

REPRESENTATIVE ADAM KINZINGER, ONE OF 10 REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED TO IMPEACH

"It was a sobering moment to vote in support of impeachment today; to walk over to the US Capitol, our symbol of democracy, and recall the violent insurrection we witnessed here just one week ago. This is not a vote I took lightly, but a vote I took confidently. I'm at peace," he said on Twitter.

REPRESENTATIVE ADAM SCHIFF, DEMOCRAT

"Today's decision to impeach President Donald J Trump was a grave one, but not a difficult one. Either we uphold our oath to protect the Constitution, or we do not. Either we safeguard our democracy, or we do not. Either we remove this dangerous man from office, or we do not. It's really that simple. Trump has been impeached, now twice, and he must be removed from office, once and for all," Schiff said in a statement.

FORMER UN AMBASSADOR NIKKI HALEY

"You've got this impeachment hearing that's being rushed through, and China, Russia and Iran - they're watching the fact that we can't even build a government. I mean this is the time where, you know, President-elect Biden needs to be putting Cabinet members in place and getting their government in place, and for me who has watched these countries and dealt with these countries, it's very dangerous for our national security for them to see an impeachment process taking place and not building out a government."

"We've got to get our priorities straight, stop the whining, stop the complaining, stop the finger-pointing and let's get to work. That's really what needs to happen," Haley told Fox News.

Australian Associated Press