Highlights:
- Democratic Caucus and House Speaker demands invoking of the 25th Amendment to oust Trump
- US Vice President Mike Pence has rejected the call for invoking the Amendment
- Nancy Pelosi said that the failure of Mike Pence to trigger the process would lead to a Donald Trump impeachment vote
The Vice Preside of the United States, Mike Pence, on Tuesday, told the House leaders that he is against invoking of the 25th AmAmendment process which will remove President Donald Trump, all but guaranteeing an impeachment vote against the besieged president.
Writing to the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Pence emphasised, “With just eight days left in the President’s term, you and the Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment,” referring to the process which would declare Donald Trump unable to fulfil his duties and will put Pence as the acting president of the US for the remainder of the term.
Pence said, “I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our nation or consistent with our Constitution”.
Following this, the Democrats mobilised rapidly and began the process to remove Donald Trump after he encouraged his supporters one week ago to “March” to the US Capitol and “fight”.
In the violent act, the protestors and rioters stormed past the outnumbered police, rampaged through and then ransacked the building. The also interrupted the Congress as it was certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the US Presidential elections.
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Pence, who was presiding over the voting, in addition to Pelosi and other lawmakers, were forced to take shelter.
A total of five people lost their lives during the unrest which includes a US Capitol Police officer.
The letter from the Vice President came just hours before the House of Representatives was about to vote on the resolution which were to call on Pence to initiate the 25th Amendment process and “declare what is obvious to a horrified nation: that the President is unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office.”
Pelosi attacked Pence saying his failure to trigger the process would now lead to a Donald Trump impeachment vote on Wednesday.
Pelosi has described Trump as being “unhinged.”
However, Pence replied to Pelosi saying that her call to invoke the 25th Amendment was misplaced, pointing out that it was designed to “address presidential incapacity or disability,” and not as a “means of punishment or usurpation.”
Pence also asked everyone to note that despite the intense pressure from within his party to invalidate the electoral votes from swing states won by Biden, he fulfilled his constitutional duty to certify the results.
He wrote, “I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation”.
Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump said the 25th Amendment was of “zero risk” to him.