Several Democratic leaders in Congress — and at least one Republican — are calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office for inciting a mob of his loyalists to storm the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) shared her draft articles of impeachment on social media, Thursday afternoon.
Omar’s document states that Trump has “abused the powers of the Presidency to incite violence and orchestrate an attempted coup against our country.”
“President Trump encouraged individuals to travel to Washington, District of Columbia with the sole purpose of inciting violence and obstructing Congress in engaging in its constitutionally mandated legislative business of certifying the electoral college results of the 2020 election,” according to the draft document.
Articles of Impeachment for introduction, so proud of everyone co-leading this effort with us.
We need to move quickly to remove this President from office. pic.twitter.com/vbZtA7g6fc
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 7, 2021
A number of other Democratic lawmakers (including members of the progressive group commonly known as “the Squad,” which includes Omar) have signed onto Omar’s articles of impeachment. Co-sponsors include Reps. Cori Bush (D-Missouri), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts), Ted Lieu (D-California), David Cicilline (D-Rhode Island), Jamaal Bowman (D-New York), Al Green (D-Texas), Hank Johnson (D-Georgia), Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) and Mondaire Jones (D-New York).
“Every single hour that Donald Trump remains in office, our country, our democracy, and our national security remain in danger,” the sponsors of the bill wrote in a letter to colleagues. “Congress must take immediate action to keep the people of this country safe and set a precedent that such behavior cannot be tolerated.”
On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) called on Vice President Mike Pence and the White House cabinet to invoke second four of the 25th Amendment, which would allow them to begin the process of removing Trump from the presidency.
“What happened at the U.S. Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president. This president should not hold office one day longer,” Schumer said in a statement, adding that the quickest way to remove him “would be for the vice president to immediately invoke the 25th Amendment.”
Schumer, who is presumed to become the Senate majority leader, warned that he and his colleagues would take action themselves if Pence doesn’t act. “If the vice president and the cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress should reconvene to impeach the president,” Schumer said.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) also called for Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment.
“I join the Senate Democratic leader in calling on the vice president to remove this president by immediately invoking the 25th amendment. If the vice president and cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment,” Pelosi said.
"I join the Senate Democratic leader in calling on the vice president to remove this president by immediately invoking the 25th amendment. If the vice president and cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment." — Pelosi pic.twitter.com/tGdFSbNBMs
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 7, 2021
In total, at least 137 lawmakers have said they support beginning the process to remove the president. Most of the calls to impeach or remove Trump have come from Democrats. However, a number of Republicans have expressed outrage at the president’s actions yesterday, including Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), the only Republican to have voted in favor of indicting Trump during the president’s Senate impeachment trial last year.
“What happened here today was an insurrection incited by the President of the United States,” Romney said on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday.
So far, just one Republican in Congress has joined calls for Pence to begin the process of removing Trump. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois) issued a statement on Thursday urging the vice president to act.
“The president caused this. The president is unfit and the president is unwell. And the president now must relinquish control of the executive branch voluntarily or involuntarily,” Kinzinger said.
While the 25th Amendment has been discussed at various times throughout the Trump presidency, it has rarely been seriously considered. However, several senior aides in the White House have reportedly begun discussions on whether Trump should be removed using the powers in the amendment, according to The Washington Post.
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