WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers of both parties raised the prospect Thursday of ousting President Donald Trump from office, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that if he wasn’t removed, the House may move forward with a second impeachment.
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Though Trump has less than two weeks in office, lawmakers and even some in his administration began discussing the issue Wednesday afternoon.
Senior Trump administration officials raised the possibility of invoking Section 4 of the 25th Amendment — the forceful removal of Trump from power by his own Cabinet.
Pelosi told a news conference she is waiting for a decision from Vice President Mike Pence and other Cabinet officials. She challenged several of them by name, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.
“Do they stand by these actions?” Pelosi asked. “Are they ready to say that for the next 13 days this dangerous man can do further harm to our country?”
BREAKING: Nancy Pelosi calls for the 25th Amendment to be invoked by Mike Pence to remove Donald Trump from office.
She says Congress is prepared to proceed with impeachment if it is not https://t.co/FSUmVKeupb pic.twitter.com/Tu8lKEiHmw
— Bloomberg (@business) January 7, 2021
Most Democrats put the blame squarely on Trump after hundreds of protesters bearing Trump flags and clothing broke into the Capitol on Wednesday and caused destruction and mass evacuations, while others put the blame on Antifa agitators.
Pelosi said “a threshold was crossed of such magnitude” that Trump should not allowed to make any decisions.
There did appear to be public support for the move, for now, among members of Trump’s Cabinet, especially after Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao resigned in protest Thursday following the Capitol attack. But officials across the government went so far as to study up on the procedures for declaring Trump “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
According two people involved in the administration talks, staff-level discussions on the matter took place across multiple departments and even parts of the White House. No member of the Cabinet has publicly expressed support for the move — which would make Pence the acting president — though several were believed to be sympathetic to the notion, believing Trump is too volatile in his waning days before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
Under the 25th Amendment, Trump could dispute his Cabinet’s finding, but the Cabinet could quickly reaffirm its position, keeping Pence in power while the question fell to lawmakers.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer also called Thursday for the the Cabinet to remove him.
In a statement, Schumer said the attack on the Capitol “was an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president.” He said Trump “should not hold office one day longer.”
Schumer said Pence and the Cabinet should invoke the 25th Amendment and immediately remove Trump from office. Otherwise, he said, it’s up to Congress.
“If the vice president and the Cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress should reconvene to impeach the president,” Schumer said.
The quickest and most effective way—it can be done today—to remove this president from office would be for the Vice President to immediately invoke the 25th amendment.
If the Vice President and the Cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress must reconvene to impeach President Trump.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 7, 2021
As Pelosi suggested impeachment was a possibility, three Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee announced articles of impeachment. Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Ted Lieu of California wrote in the articles that Trump “willfully made statements that encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — imminent lawless action at the Capitol.”
The House impeached Trump in 2019, but the Republican-led Senate acquitted him in early 2020.
At least one House Republican also called for Trump’s removal. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., a frequent Trump critic, said in a video on Twitter that Trump is “unfit” and “unwell.”
Kinzinger said the president “must now relinquish control of the executive branch voluntarily or involuntarily.”
It’s with a heavy heart I am calling for the sake of our Democracy that the 25th Amendment be invoked. My statement: pic.twitter.com/yVyQrYcjuD
— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) January 7, 2021
Former Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who’s clashed with Trump for years, said he doesn’t think invoking the 25th Amendment is realistic because of the support it would need from Cabinet members and because of the short time left in Trump’s term. But he said in an interview that he supported the decisions both by some White House and administration officials to quit and others who are remaining “to ensure that basically the guard rails stay where they should.”
Flake added: “We’ve got two weeks here, and let’s make sure we get to the inauguration.”
Impeachment on what grounds?
Which republicans discussed it? the transportation Secretary? Where did she grow out from? Who ever heard from her? But these stupid republicans that think they will score points by folding to the fakestream media, will never learn that you are hated either way, and they are just sowing turmoil in the republican chamber. Look what happened when statesmen like McCain and Romney tried running for president, they were treated like trash. You gotta stick to your guns, stick to your message, a few hundred rioters don’t decide the fate of a country
I don’t think people would look favorably at this.
remember, in banana republic people devolve and lawlessness rules.
If Trump wants to salvage any vestige of a positive legacy, he should resign just like Richard Nixon did. Unfortunately, the President is just not well.
Trump will resign. You heard it here first
A great legacy of 360k dead of covid, sacking of Capital, kids in cages, pardoning felons, chaos in foreign policy, racism and hate. DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU 4 YEARS AGO.
Strategically this is silly. You need to lower the temp. Yes you risk crazies burning or doing more violence. Its just silly and risky. Smarter move is to get all cabinet ministers on board to force Trump to transiton smoothly. Biden perosnal should move in today already and Trump must play the game
Nancy, sober up and you won’t shake so much.
BTW, see the dentist, your teeth be rattling.
This seems like a foolishly destructive gesture at this stage. Pence is basically in charge now. Let Trump go to Florida on Air Force One and have the plane return to D.C. for the new administration.
Trump is staying for another term and then some it’s in the tof shin pei alef it means tiyu shanim president from alef