EVICTION?
CALLS RISE FOR TRUMP’S REMOVAL IN WAKE OF CAPITOL RIOT
In the wake of the deadly siege of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, some lawmakers are calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment.
Under the 25th Amendment, the president can be removed from office by the vice president plus a majority of the Cabinet, or by the vice president and a body established by Congress, if they determine he “is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
Those calling for action include Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Lackawanna County Democrat, announced in a statement Thursday that the move is necessary because Trump is a threat to domestic and national security.
“It is self-evident that the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,” he said. “I call on Vice President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and begin the process of removing the powers of the presidency from Donald Trump. This is the quickest way to protect our domestic and national security.”
Casey said Trump inspired, encouraged and emboldened domestic terrorists to attack the Capitol in furtherance of an attempted coup.
“While shocking, yesterday’s events were entirely foreseeable,” he said. “They were the direct result of President Trump’s lies about the integrity of our most recent election, and his frequent incitements to violence. For weeks, the President has lied about his decisive defeat, promoting wild conspiracy theories about unsubstantiated fraud and encouraging this insurrection.
“But he didn’t do it alone. President Trump was aided and abetted every step of the way by a multitude of Republicans in both the House and Senate who, after four years of enabling his authoritarian tendencies, yesterday sought to invalidate the will of the very people they serve.”
Casey said these members of Congress, along with Trump, are responsible for the assault on democracy, noting that their collective actions and words put lives at risk and struck at the heart of our most fundamental democratic principles.
U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan released a similar statement minutes after the announcement by Casey. The Chester County Democrat said the 25th Amendment must be invoked with urgency and expediency.
“I believe the President has abdicated his responsibility to safeguard this nation,” she said. “Today, I am urging the Vice President and members of the Cabinet to invoke the 25th amendment. This is an appropriate way to remove the President from office.
“We must send an urgent missive both to the American people and to the international community: This man is not fit to serve as the leader of country and the free world.”
U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean was the first local lawmaker to call for the invocation of the 25th Amendment based on the events that unfolded on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
The Montgomery County Democrat said Thursday in a phone interview that
Trump was responsible for lighting the fuse that ignited the mob with his lies and disinformation. But, she added, that the trouble began long before this week.
“It has been so abundantly clear for a long time that he is unstable and unfit to serve as President of the United States,” she said. “The country is at great risk with this man in charge.”
Dean said impeachment should be pursued simultaneously despite the fact that Trump will be forced to leave the Oval Office in less than two weeks when President-elect Joe Biden will officially take over the post.
“Look what happened yesterday — that was just one day,” she said. “I don’t think we should be calculating if something can be done but be asking ourselves what we should be doing in this moment, and I think this moment calls for both.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser did not respond to repeated requests made to his office for comment on Wednesday’s events at the Capitol.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, a Lehigh County Republican, was not available to comment on Thursday.