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Democrats give Mike Pence 24 hours to oust Donald Trump as US President
Dems plan to pass a resolution in the House on Monday calling upon the Vice-President to invoke the 25th amendment of the US constitution to remove the President from office, declaring him “unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office”
US Democrats plan to pass a resolution in the House of Representatives on Monday calling upon Vice-President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th amendment of the constitution to remove President Donald Trump from office, declaring him “unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office”.
They will wait for 24 hours for Pence to do so and then, on Tuesday, they will introduce a legislation to impeach the president, charging him with, according to a draft in circulation, “incitement of insurrection” for the January 6 storming of the Capitol by his supporters.
The first part of the Democrats’ plan to remove Trump from office was a demand for him to resign on his own “immediately”. That did not happen.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter on Sunday to fellow Democrats that a resolution will be moved in the morning that “calls on the vice-president to convene and mobilise the cabinet to activate the 25th amendment to declare the president incapable of executing the duties of his office, after which the vice-president would immediately exercise powers as acting president”.
“We are calling on the vice-president to respond within 24 hours,” Pelosi added. “Next, we will proceed with bringing impeachment legislation to the floor.”
Pence is said to have been reluctant over Trump’s removal as the president through the use of either the 25th amendment or impeachment process, fearing that it could push Trump to act rashly.
But Pence has eventually retained the option of invoking the 25th amendment if Trump “become more unstable”, according to reports citing sources close to him.
Democrats are moving swiftly to hold Trump responsible for the storming of the Capitol. Inflamed by Trump, his son Don Trump Jr and personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani at a rally nearby, supporters stormed the Capitol aiming to stop Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory.
They had forced their way in, overpowering the Capitol’s security. They vandalised offices and forced lawmakers to hide wherever they could. They had roamed the corridors chanting “Hang Mike Pence” and “Where’s Nancy”.
The resolution to oust Trump from the presidency slated to be introduced Monday will recount the Capitol attack in details, setting up the impeachment legislation.
Trump “tweeted to his supporters that ‘Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our country’ after the Capitol had been overrun and the vice-president was in hiding”, the resolution said, highlighting a particularly sore time in their relationship.
People close to Pence have said, according to reports, the vice-president was disappointed that Trump did not call to check on him and family at the time when they were sheltering for their lives. He has not called up still, reportedly.
But Pence is playing his cards close to the chest. He has not publicly criticised Trump or complained explicitly.
But he has signalled his frustration and disappointment with Trump’s payback for his four years of loyalty through some of the most challenging times. Pence plans to attend Biden’s inauguration in a striking repudiation of Trump, who will not.
