Some Democratic Congress members are calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office by invoking the 25th Amendment, and a Republican lawmaker is agreeing with the push.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) became the first Republican lawmaker to express that he believes the 25th Amendment should be invoked.
If invoked, this would mean that Trump would be removed and Vice President Mike Pence would be in charge — until President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
In a video posted to Twitter on Thursday, Kinzinger said:
“I call for the vice president and members of the Cabinet to ensure the next few weeks are safe for the American people and that we have a sane captain on the ship… It’s time to invoke the 25th Amendment and end this nightmare.”
He continued, “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.”
Watch Kinzinger’s video below:
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
Kinzinger called what occurred on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol — where protestors stormed the building — a “wake up call for many” and a “call of accountability for others.”
Some Democratic lawmakers are also pushing for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, including Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
He wrote on Twitter on Thursday, “What happened at the U.S. Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United States, incited by President Trump. This president must not hold office one day longer.”
Schumer continued, “The quickest and most effective way—it can be done today — to remove this president from office would be for the Vice President to immediately invoke the 25th Amendment. If the Vice President and the Cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress must reconvene to impeach President Trump.”
The quickest and most effective way—it can be done today—to remove this president from office would be for the Vice President to immediately invoke the 25th amendment.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 7, 2021
If the Vice President and the Cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress must reconvene to impeach President Trump.
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee penned a letter on Wednesday night “calling on Vice President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Donald Trump from office after today’s events,” as Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) shared on Twitter.
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 letter says Trump has “revealed that he is not mentally sound and is still unable to process and accept the results of the 2020 election,” citing a video the president posted to Twitter on Wednesday where he told protesters to “go home in peace.”
“For the sake of our democracy, we emphatically urge you to invoke the 25th Amendment and begin the process of removing President Trump from power. President has shown time and again that he is unwilling to protect our Democracy and carry out the duties of the office,” the lawmakers wrote.
