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- As the death toll from the riots in the U.S. Capital Building rises to four, a group of Republican lawmakers are pushing for Donald Trump to be removed as President
- Vice President Mike Pence is being called on to invoke the 25th amendment and take over as leader for the remainder of Trump’s term
- To achieve this, the VP would need to gain the majority of support from Trump’s Cabinet Members
- Congress is currently advancing President-elect Joe Biden’s win, by affirming each state’s vote in the newly-reclaimed Capital Building
- The process is being interrupted by a some Republicans who remain loyal to Trump and are objecting to some state’s results
As the death toll from the riots at the U.S. Capital Building continues to rise, a small group of lawmakers within Congress are pushing for Donald Trump to be removed as President.
Four people are now confirmed to have died during the violent insurrection, which saw Republicans, Democrats, staff and press threatened while trying to validate Joe Biden’s Presidential win.
Following the attack, a small group of unnamed Republicans are now reportedly pushing for the Vice President to take over as leader for the remaining two weeks until Biden is inaugurated.
The group of Republicans are asking Mike Pence to either impeach and remove Trump or invoke the 25th amendment and have the VP take over as President.
The amendment allows Pence to remove Trump from office due to his inability to “discharge the powers and duties of his office”, though the Vice President would be required to gain support from Trump’s Cabinet Members.
Multiple media outlets report that some Members of Cabinet are discussing removing the President from office, however, nothing official from them or Pence has been made public.
JUST IN: Officials discussing 25th Amendment for Trump following violence at Capitol https://t.co/Jw7jieG7Kx pic.twitter.com/15n4oQmnEO
— The Hill (@thehill) January 7, 2021
Many Republicans have expressed their outrage over Trump’s behaviour on Thursday and in the months leading up to the election certification vote.
“There is no question that the President formed the mob. The President incited mob, the President addressed the mob. He lit the flame,” Wyoming Republican Representative Liz Cheney told Fox News.
“It’s past time for the president to accept the results of the election, quit misleading the American people, and repudiate mob violence,” staunch Trump supporter and Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton said.
Dozens of Democrats have also called for Trump to be impeached or removed, citing his rhetoric over the last few months as being responsible for inciting the insurrection.
In a letter written to Pence, the entire House Judiciary Committee called on the Vice President to “invoke the 25th Amendment and begin the process of removing President Trump from office.”
NEW: I am sending a letter with @RepTedLieu and our colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee, calling on Vice President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Donald Trump from office after today’s events. pic.twitter.com/5VK8DLTLn4
— David Cicilline (@davidcicilline) January 7, 2021
The move from both Republicans and Democrats to remove Trump comes as Congress continues to advance President-elect Joe Biden’s win — by affirming each state’s vote in the newly-reclaimed Capital Building.
The process is being interrupted by a small group of Republicans who remain loyal to Trump and are objecting to certain state’s election results as they consider them fraudulent — though there is no evidence to support these claims.
