Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee urged Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Donald Trump from office in a letter Wednesday.
The letter follows a day of violent riots in and around the United States Capitol. Thousands of Trump supporters began the day being rallied by the president and his allies, but protests transformed into a mob that stormed the Capitol and disrupted Congress’s certifying of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
“I am sending a letter with [California Rep.] Ted Lieu and our colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Donald Trump from office after today’s events,” said Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline.
He was joined by over a dozen lawmakers, including Chairman Jerry Nadler, Rep. Cori Bush and Rep. Eric Swalwell.
“It is with great sadness that we write to you following the incidents that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol today,” the letter says. “As you presided over the U.S. Senate, angry supporters of President Trump attempted an insurrection, illegally storming and breaching the U.S. Capitol building to stop the certification of President-elect Biden’s victory,” the lawmakers wrote. (RELATED: Rioters Breach Pelosi’s Office)
A supporter of US President Donald Trump sits inside the office of US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as he riots inside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 6, 2021. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Even though Trump’s term expires in 13 days, the group expressed concern that “he was unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office” and is “unwilling to protect our Democracy.”
Trump’s first message after the Capitol was breached was to attack Pence for refusing to overturn Biden’s victory. He then urged rioters to remain peaceful in two separate messages before calling for them to go home in a video hours after they had stormed the building.
He opened his video repeating baseless allegations that the election was stolen. Hours later he seemingly justified what some GOP lawmakers described as a “coup attempt” in a tweet that prompted Twitter to suspend his account for 12 hours.
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