Former FBI director James Comey says Donald Trump should be tried and convicted in the U.S. Senate for his role during the Capitol Hill riots earlier this month.&nbsp;

"It's an offence committed in broad daylight in front of the whole country," Comey said in an interview Wednesday with 

Trump, the former U.S. president,&nbsp;is currently facing a historic second trial in the Senate&nbsp;after the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted to impeach him for a second time.&nbsp;

Lawmakers have accused the former president of "inciting an insurrection" in his role during the Jan. 6 siege in the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead.

The ex-FBI director, who was fired by Trump in May 2017, said&nbsp;Trump should be held accountable.

"I think it's a very important first step that he was impeached, the only president in American history, to be impeached twice," he said.&nbsp;

Comey also said&nbsp;lawmakers should go further and ban Trump from running for public office in the future.&nbsp;

"Part of the accountability for the attack on Capitol Hill has to be him being found to have committed it and then most importantly, maybe of all, is barred from ever holding office again," he said.

Opening arguments in the trial are set to begin in the week of Feb.&nbsp;8.&nbsp;

U.S. warns of heightened domestic terrorism threat after election, Capitol riot

The United States could face a heightened threat of domestic extremist violence for weeks from people angry at Donald Trump's election defeat and inspired by the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol, the Department of Homeland Security warned on Wednesday.

People climb over a stone wall carrying Trump signs

Supporters of Trump climb the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. 

Electoral College Protests

Supporters of then U.S. president Donald Trump storm the Capitol on Jan. 6. The Department of Homeland Security has issued a bulletin warning of the potential for lingering violence from people motivated by anti-government sentiment following the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

Most U.S. Senate Republicans vote against holding 2nd impeachment trial against Donald Trump

U.S. Senate Republicans voted overwhelmingly Tuesday against moving forward with Donald Trump's historic second impeachment trial, making clear a conviction of the former president for "incitement of insurrection" is unlikely.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to reporters after the weekly Republican caucus policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 26, 2021.  

USA-TRUMP/IMPEACHMENT

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to reporters on Tuesday. McConnell was among the Republicans who voted that putting Donald Trump on trial would be unconstitutional. 

Donald Trump leaves office as a diminished force in the Republican Party

Donald Trump could have spent his final weeks in office boasting about his Republican administration's achievements and trying to solidify his status as the party's voice and likely front-runner for the next presidential nomination. He chose a different approach that yielded a much different result.

President Donald Trump departs as the only president to have been impeached twice, and a Republican party significantly divided.

APTOPIX Trump

Donald Trump leaves the White House as the only president to have been impeached twice.

Former FBI director James Comey says former U.S. president Donald Trump should be convicted in the upcoming impeachment trial

Trump should be banned from holding public office, ex-FBI director says

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