Pelosi says House will impeach Trump, builds pressure on Pence
Democrats in the United States House of Representatives are pressurizing Vice President Mike Pence to remove outgoing President Donald Trump from the Oval Office. If he doesn't, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, the House will move to impeach Trump, his second impeachment during the term. Calls for removing Trump have been gaining momentum after the Capitol violence on January 6, which killed five, including a cop.
Many within the US have been fuming after a mob, purportedly incited by Trump, stormed the seat of the democracy, defiling it. They clashed with the cops, briefly took over the Senate Chamber forcing lawmakers to adjourn a session convened to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win. Democrats said seeds of the rampage were planted by Trump, who didn't accept the outcome of the polls.
After the riots, Democrats showed little inclination to wait even till January 20, when Trump's tenure ends. Pelosi, who has been leading the campaign, wrote a letter to her colleagues saying the House will first ask Pence and the Cabinet to use the 25th Amendment to orchestrate the President's exit. The VP will be given 24 hours to respond to the resolution.
Once that time period ends, the House would go forward with legislation on impeachment. "In protecting our Constitution and our Democracy, we will act with urgency, because this President represents an imminent threat to both, (sic)" Pelosi's letter read. Though she didn't specify the timeline, some Democrats hinted Trump could be charged with "high crimes and misdemeanors" by as early as mid-week.
Democrats David Cicilline (Rhode Island), Jamie Raskin (Maryland), and Ted Lieu (California) will move the impeachment resolution during the pro-forma House session on Monday. As per Cicilline, nearly 200 people have endorsed the resolution. Pelosi said while she wants 25th Amendment to be invoked "because it gets rid of him," many in Congress favor impeachment, as it will bar Trump from holding office again.
For the amendment route, Pence would have to get the majority of Trump's Cabinet to concur that he is "unfit" for office. The President can challenge this by writing a letter to Congress, giving Pence and the Cabinet four days to respond. Thereafter, a vote will be necessitated. Votes of 67 senators and 290 House members will be enough to wrest power from Trump.
Notably, at least two Republicans have expressed interest in Trump's ouster from the White House. "I think the president has disqualified himself from ever, certainly, serving in the office again. I don't think he is electable in any way," said Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. Before him, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski called on "Trump to resign and go away as soon as possible."
Evidently, there are some Republicans who didn't approve of Democrats' idea of pushing Trump out. Sen. Marco Rubio said now was the time to unite and not to "talk about ridiculous things like 'Let's impeach a President'." Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger claimed he would "vote the right way," and Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse also revealed he would go through the House-approved articles once.
