Rep. Panetta: Trump should be removed immediately
Panetta to Mike Pence: 'It's up to you to keep us safe the next 13 days.'
MONTEREY >> Hours after mobs of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, members of Congress, including Rep. Jimmy Panetta, certified the Electoral College vote that sealed the victory of President- elect Joe Biden and Vice President- elect Kamala Harris early Thursday morning.
“We got right back to work on the House floor doing what we were there to do to certify the Electoral College votes,” said Panetta.
On Wednesday, Panetta, DCarmel Valley, was in the middle of a video conference call about vaccine distribution on the Central Coast when he heard heavy pounding on his office door by security advising he and his staff to leave, as Trump supporters stormed the Capitol complex.
By later that afternoon, Panetta reported he was safe and sheltering-in-place in his office in the Cannon Building. His staff left, but he stayed to finish business on the video call, as well as waiting for the protesters to be removed so the Electoral College vote certification could continue.
“I wanted to show that we are standing firm and strong,” said Panetta in a late-afternoon phone call on Wednesday with The Herald. “These protesters and their violent acts are not going to deter us.”
Panetta said that members of House of Representatives from states where votes were being objected to were the only people asked to be on the floor at that time to give them a chance to debate. Panetta said he was conducting the business of the people of the Central Coast on a teleconference call when the chaos intensified and the members and staff were being put into lockdown or told to leave.
“We are fine and waiting for the crowds to be dispersed,” he said late Wednesday afternoon.
Panetta said that Capitol police did a good job of protecting representatives and their staff on Capitol Hill but at the same time there needs to be a report on why rioters were able to breach security and how it was allowed to happen.
“We knew what was going to happen,” said Panetta.
He cited the morning rally by Trump as the most recent example of signs of coming violence since the November election and stressed there needs to be a proper review of procedures to make sure it does not happen again.
“My feeling is that they prevented us from moving our democracy forward,” said Panetta of the rioters who stormed the Capitol building.
But after security forces were brought in to clear out the rioters on Wednesday evening, Panetta and other legislators were able to come back to do their jobs and by about 3:30 a.m., Congress certified the Electoral College count.
Panetta said he remained on the House f loor the whole time and even had a few words for Vice President Mike Pence.
“It’s up to you to keep us safe the next 13 days,” said Panetta to Pence.
Panetta said he believes Trump should be removed immediately based on what he has said before the riot and what did not say during the riot.
“Now the reality is with the 25th Amendment, I don’t know if we can get the vice president and the majority of the Cabinet, as well as two-thirds of the House and Senate vote, all of which is required for the 25th Amendment to be invoked,” said Panetta. “However, the president needs to understand that based on his action and inaction, he should be removed from office immediately.”
The 25th Amendment creates a clear line of succession and prepares for urgent contingencies as a means of last resort to remove a rogue or incapacitated president.
A not her opt ion for the removal of the president is impeachment, which would bar Trump from running for president again. But according to published reports, there may not be enough time to impeach and try the president again in the next two weeks. He has already been impeached by the House but was acquitted by the Senate in February 2020.
On T hursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and said that if he failed to do so, Democrats were prepared to impeach Trump a second time.
Panetta said that over the next 13 days with Trump still in office “we need to be even more vigilant. There needs to be leadership by the people around the president and in leadership positions in Washing ton, D. C., to watch, manage, persuade and ensure a peaceful transition of power come Jan. 20.”
Panetta said he was more disappointed than surprised that there were still some who wanted to question the Electoral College results but understands the politics of the districts involved and their representatives that remain behind Trump. But Panetta said the most important thing to remember is that last night, Congress demonstrated what it can do.
“In the face of rioters, incited by this president, who attempted an insurrection of the U. S. Capitol, we continued to do our job for our constituents by getting right back on to that House f loor and certifying the Electoral College,” said Panetta. “And that is what we will continue to do moving forward.”
Panetta said he finally was able to get to bed by 5 a.m. Thursday but was back in the office by late morning. He said he was discussing the previous day’s events with staff and what steps to take going forward. Panetta will be returning to the Central Coast next to help plan for the proper oversight and distribution of the coronavirus vaccines in the region.