Democrats discuss swift action to impeach US President Donald Trump

Democrats are debating on Friday (Saturday, NZT) whether to go ahead with the swift removal of US President Donald Trump, if his cabinet does not attempt to remove him first, acting swiftly two days after the Capitol was ransacked by a pro mob. -Trump.

House Democrats will hold a caucus meeting at noon (local time), the first since Wednesday’s heartbreaking events on Capitol Hill, and could address articles of impeachment against Trump next week.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi discussed the possibility of impeachment with her leadership team Thursday night, hours after announcing that the House was willing to act if Vice President Mike Pence and other officials do not invoke Section 4 of Amendment 25: Trump’s forced removal from power. by his own Cabinet.

Five people have now died from the violent riot, including police officer Brian Sicknick. Pelosi said in a statement Friday that Sicknick’s death “reminds us of our obligation to those we serve: to protect our country from all foreign and domestic threats.”

He said those responsible for the officer’s death “must be brought to justice.”

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Though Trump has less than two weeks in office, lawmakers and even some in his administration began discussing options for his impeachment Wednesday afternoon when Trump first encouraged the crowd to march on Capitol Hill, then declined to condemn. energetically the violent assault and seemed to excuse it. .

Representative Katherine Clark, a member of the Democratic leadership of the House of Representatives, said the procedural steps could allow them to move much faster than they did in Trump’s impeachment last year.

“I can confirm that we have had discussions on this and I hope the speaker will move forward if the Vice President refuses to do what is required of him under the Constitution,” said Representative James Clyburn, the No. 3 House Democrat, on CNN. “Everybody knows that this president is crazy.”

One of Trump’s top Republican critics, Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, said he will “definitely consider” impeachment.

“The president has disregarded his oath of office,” Sasse said on “CBS This Morning” on Friday. He said what Trump did was “evil” inciting the mob to Capitol Hill.

If the House does impeach, “I will definitely consider any items they can move,” Sasse said.

Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer have called on Trump’s cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to force Trump to leave office before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20. Schumer said he and Pelosi tried to call Pence early Thursday to discuss that option but were unable to reach him.

Pelosi during a new conference on Thursday challenged several members of the Cabinet by name, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin.

“Do you support these actions?” Pelosi asked. “Are you ready to say that during the next 13 days this dangerous man can do more damage to our country?”

Most Democrats, and many Republicans, directly blamed Trump after hundreds of protesters wearing Trump flags and clothing stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, causing destruction and mass evacuations. The president had urged his supporters to protest as Congress counted the electoral votes that confirmed Joe Biden’s victory.

Pelosi said that “a threshold of such magnitude was crossed” that Trump should not be allowed to make any decisions.

Three Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee began circulating articles of impeachment on Thursday. Representatives David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Ted Lieu of California wrote in the articles that Trump “deliberately made statements that encouraged – and predictably resulted in – impending illegal actions on Capitol Hill.”

The House impeached Trump in 2019, but the Republican-led Senate acquitted him in early 2020.

Pence has not publicly addressed the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment, but that possibility may have faded after two Cabinet members resigned Thursday in protest after Trump incited protesters who later mounted the deadly assault on Capitol Hill.

However, senior Trump administration officials raised the remote possibility as chaos unfolded on Capitol Hill. Officials throughout the administration even studied the procedures to declare Trump “incapable of fulfilling the powers and duties of his office.”

No cabinet member has publicly expressed support for the measure, which would make Pence interim president. But several were believed to sympathize with the notion, believing Trump to be too volatile in his final days before Biden’s inauguration on January 20.

Under the 25th Amendment, Trump could dispute his cabinet’s finding, but the cabinet could quickly reassert its position, keeping Pence in power while the issue rests with lawmakers.

While the House could quickly vote to impeach Trump, it is extremely unlikely that Congress will be able to remove the president in the next 13 days. The Senate would have to receive the articles and then hold a trial and vote on them.

And even if it did, the Republican Senate is unlikely to vote to convict. Democrats are poised to narrowly take the Senate when Biden is inaugurated, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has the sledgehammer until then.

But in a measure of the awkward position in which Trump’s mob incitement had placed Republican lawmakers, there was a notable lack of Republican statements attacking Democrats’ calls for his impeachment.

Biden distanced himself from his fellow Democrats’ push to topple Trump with the 25th Amendment.

Andrew Bates, spokesman for the president-elect, said Biden was focused on taking office on January 20 “and will let Vice President Pence, the Cabinet and Congress do whatever they see fit.”