Concession, finally: Trump admits his presidency is ending, says he will peacefully leave.
If Democrats pursue the immediate removal of President Donald Trump from office, Arizona might now bring them one small step closer to doing so.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., has joined the Senate since Trump’s impeachment acquittal in February. In a written statement to The Arizona Republic, Kelly said Trump violated his oath of office and Kelly is open to considering removal from office after the rioting Wednesday at the Capitol that many blame on Trump.
Kelly, who replaced former Sen. Martha McSally, RAriz., said he has been talking with his Democratic and Republican colleagues “about how the president violated his oath of office by inciting violence at the Capitol yesterday,” and what they could do about it.
“The Vice President and the cabinet have the responsibility to discuss invoking the 25th amendment, and regardless of what they decide — we will have a new president in two weeks,” Kelly said. “My focus remains on how we uphold our democratic values, including a peaceful transfer of power, so that our government can work and solve the challenges Arizonans face.”
The 25th Amendment provides for removing a president if the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet, or the vice president and a body established by Congress, deem the president unfit for office.
Some in Arizona’s congressional delegation did not comment directly on the possibility of trying to remove Trump prematurely.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., had no comment on the growing calls from the Democratic Party, her spokeswoman said. Sinema voted to convict and remove Trump from office last year over his dealings with Ukraine and the investigation of that matter.
All five of the state’s House Democrats again support impeachment. There is no indication any of the state’s four House Republicans have shifted from opposing it.
Impeachment could again be on the horizon as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., raised it directly in the aftermath of the chaos that left four people dead and makeshift bombs found near several political targets in Washington.
“If the vice president and Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment — that is the overwhelming sentiment of my caucus,” Pelosi said during a press conference on Thursday.
She said Trump incited sedition and must be removed from office early: “While it’s only 13 days left, every day can be a horror show for America.”
In the Democratic-controlled House, there is little sign that the partisan dynamic that led to Trump’s impeachment in December 2019 has changed. All five of the state’s Democrats voted to impeach Trump in the Ukraine matter. All four of the Republicans voted against it.
Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said Trump’s behavior demonstrates an inability to perform the functions of the office.
“President Trump has shown that he is unwilling to protect our Democracy and carry out the duties of the office,” Stanton wrote. In the interests of the country, he said he was joining colleagues on the Judiciary Committee to urge Pence to begin the process of removing Trump from the White House.
Saying Trump has inflamed tensions, incited the violence, and revelations that Trump has talked of pardoning himself before leaving office, Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-Ariz., said he supported the president’s early removal.
Aside from Wednesday’s events, O’Halleran said Trump had abdicated his duties by denying to the American people the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic, which claimed the lives of an estimated 3,000 daily.
It is “time for the Cabinet to step in,” he said. Trump’s decision to rev up the crowd with the unfounded claim that the election had been stolen from them was “not indicative of rational thinking,” O’Halleran said. “And I think that we as a country need to be concerned about that. I know there’s only13 days left … but decisions can be made quickly.”
In his comments to the House on Wednesday, Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., described the violence as “treason” and pointedly urged his Republican colleagues to abandon Trump.
“Our democracy is under attack and Donald Trump has long been leading the charge,” he said in a statement on Thursday. “He must be removed from office, whether by his own cabinet or by Congress.”
Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., was the earliest Arizona supporter of impeachment for Trump and still is.
“President Trump encouraged domestic terrorists to storm the Capitol and intimidate and threaten Members of Congress into overturning an election and illegally install him in power,” he said in a statement. “He’s a national security threat and must be removed from office as soon as possible whether by the 25th Amendment or impeachment.”
Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., also a member of the Judiciary Committee and a member of Trump’s impeachment defense team last year, poured cold water on the idea. In a tweet, she noted, “This sort of rhetoric only sows more political upheaval at a time when our nation needs healing.”