Pence Refuses To Invoke The 25th Amendment To Remove Trump From Office
Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday made clear that he has no plans to invoke the 25th Amendment that will lead to President Donald Trump's removal from office. The president came under fire from the Democrats and the Republican Party after some of his supporters broke into the Capitol last week in an attempt to block the Congressional certification of President-election Joe Biden's win.
The Capitol riot claimed five lives, including one of a police officer. Pence confirmed his decision to not invoke the 25th Amendment in a letter ahead of a House vote on a measure urging him to do so. Introduced by Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the resolution urges Pence to use his authority under section 4 of the 25th Amendment to call and deploy the principal officers of the executive departments in the Cabinet and announce that Trump is not able to discharge the duties of his office successfully.
The resolution also calls on Pence to accept the powers and duties of the office as Acting President. Pence's office shut down the idea in a letter sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Noting that there are only eight days left before Trump leaves office, Pence said he believes in invoking the 25th Amendment isn't in the best interest of America, or even in harmony with the American Constitution.
The resolution's approval, however, represents a rebuke to Trump as several lawmakers are furious about the attack on the Capitol by pro-Trump supporters seeking to stop the certification process of Biden's win in the 2020 election. It also comes as House Democrats are rapidly moving towards impeaching Trump for a second time due to the attack, which the president incited after accusing the Democrats of stealing the election from him and pushing baseless claims of massive voter fraud.
Trump urged his supporters to fight back, hoping to overturn the election results. House Democrats are slated to vote Wednesday to impeach the president, one week after protestors broke into the Capitol, overrunning the Capitol police and breaching some of the building's most secure areas.
In her statement acquired by CNN, Pelosi on Tuesday revealed the names of the Democratic lawmakers who will act as impeachment managers and present a case to the Senate during an impeachment trial. Representative Jamie Raskin will serve as the lead manager, while other managers include Madeleine Dean, Joe Neguse, Stacey Plaskett, Ted Lieu, Joaquin Castro, Eric Swalwell, David Cicilline, and Diana DeGette.
The No. 3 House Republican, Representative Liz Cheney, told colleagues during a conference call that the impeachment vote will be a vote of conscience, a source told CNN. Cheney, who confirmed earlier this week that she would vote to impeach Trump, is one of the few outspoken critics of Trump's conspiracy theories about the Nov. presidential election results.