Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is threatening to launch another impeachment campaign against President Donald Trump if Vice President Mike Pence or the White House Cabinet does not invoke the 25th Amendment seeking to remove him from office.
“I join the Senate Democratic leader in calling on the vice president to remove this president by immediately invoking the 25th Amendment. 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, and the American people, by the way.” Pelosi said, noting that she hopes to hear from the administration about their plan of action on Thursday.
“When you have the 25th … invoked, that would be calling upon the Vice President … to take the lead, and with a majority of the Cabinet, to be able to unseat the president of the United States … a very dangerous person,” she added at her weekly press conference on Thursday.
BREAKING: Speaker Pelosi calls for VP Pence and the Cabinet to remove President Trump from office via the 25th Amendment, or another impeachment effort may be carried out by Democrats. pic.twitter.com/bbwTLScyWL
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 7, 2021
Under the 25th Amendment, the vice president is granted the authority, along with necessary support from the Cabinet, to proclaim that the president is unfit for office and unable to perform his duties. If the president were successfully removed, the vice president would become acting president.
The speaker continued her speech by claiming Trump is a “complete tool of Putin” who called for “seditious acts” and “committed an unspeakable assault on our nation and our people.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer amplified Pelosi’s accusations, saying the mob riot at the Capitol was “an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president.”
“This president should not hold office one day longer,” Schumer said.
Despite Pelosi’s insistence that this is an urgent matter and an “emergency of the highest magnitude,” it would be difficult and nearly impossible to complete either a removal or impeachment process in the 13 days Trump has left in the White House.
“While it’s only 13 days left, any day can be a horror show for America,” Pelosi concluded.
