Vice President Mike Pence reportedly does not support using the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office following Wednesday’s riot at the U.S. Capitol. Democratic leaders have urged the vice president to gather Trump’s cabinet to remove Trump, who has 13 days remaining in his term. The Capitol’s riot happened while Pence presided over a joint session of Congress to certify President-elect Joe Biden‘s victory in the Electoral College.
Pence does not support removing Trump by using the amendment, Pence advisors told Business Insider Thursday. “Not happening,” one Republican close to Pence said. Democratic leaders said they would start another round of impeachment proceedings in the House if Pence and the cabinet did not remove Trump.
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Pence and his team do not want that showdown, as they are concerned, there could be more chaos in the country before Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Such a move could also hurt Pence’s own political future, Insider noted. The vice president completed his Constitutional duty early Thursday morning by overseeing the certification of Biden’s victory. His team is reportedly trying to lower the excitement around his performance, even as some Republicans praised him.
The New York Times also reported Pence is opposed to using the 25th Amendment to remove Trump. A senior Republican official told the Times members of Trump’s cabinet also support Pence’s decision because removing Trump now could create more chaos.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi both urged Pence to remove Trump, with some progressive House Democrats already writing a draft of two articles of impeachment against Trump, reports The Hill. The first article accused Trump of abusing his power by trying to change the result of the 2020 presidential election, specifically pointing to his call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. In the second article, the House members accused Trump of abusing his power to incite the violence at the Capitol, calling it an “attempted coup against our country.”
Rep. Jerry Nadler, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, supported bringing the articles of impeachment straight to the House floor and skipping his committee. “In the wake of this deadly attack on the Capitol, in the face of this insurrection, we must act,” Nadler said. “There must be consequences. Those consequences must be commensurate with the offense, and they must begin with the President of the United States.”
