House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, which would strip President Donald Trump of power and make Pence the president for the remainder of the president’s term, which ends January 20, 2021, at noon.
Pelosi, who was recently re-elected speaker, is the latest Democratic lawmaker to call for immediate action to be taken against the president, who spoke to anti-certification protesters in Washington, D.C., before the U.S. Capitol building was breached.
“The president has committed an unspeakable assault on our nation and our people,” said Pelosi in a press conference. “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,” she added.
In a separate press conference, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) said the president’s actions Wednesday were “the problem, not the solution,” but he also said that he didn’t believe invoking the 25th Amendment was “appropriate at this point,” reports USA Today. He also said he was looking for a peaceful transition to the Biden administration and was hoping for the next 14 days to serve as a “reset.”
Lindsey Graham: “As to the 25th Amendment being invoked, I do not believe that’s appropriate at this point. I’m looking for a peaceful transfer of power.” https://t.co/FSUmVKeupb pic.twitter.com/HWiNGZeGAm
— Bloomberg (@business) January 7, 2021
One Republican lawmaker, Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), has called on the vice president to invoke the 25th Amendment.
“Sadly, yesterday it became evident that not only has the president abdicated his duty to protect the American people and the people’s House, he invoked and inflamed passions that only gave fuel to the insurrection that we saw here. When pressed to move and denounce the violence, he barely did so, while, of course, victimizing himself and seeming to give a wink and a nod to those doing it,” said Kinzinger in a video statement.
“All indications are that the president has become unmoored, not just from his duty or even his oath, but from reality itself. It is for this reason that I call for the vice president and members of the president’s cabinet to ensure the next few weeks are safe for the American people, and that we have a sane captain of the ship,” he added.
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
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), announced she plans to resign Monday, January 11, because of the “traumatic and entirely avoidable” events that unfolded at the Capitol building on Wednesday.
“Yesterday, our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the President stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed. As I’m sure is the case with many of you, it has deeply troubled me in a way that I cannot simply set aside,” said Chao.