House votes today demanding Pence use 25th Amendment to remove Trump
House votes today on demanding Mike Pence removed Donald Trump using the 25th Amendment as president flies to his border wall in Alamo, Texas, defying calls for removal in wake of MAGA riot he whipped up
- The House will vote Tuesday to demand Vice President Mike Pence invoked the 25th Amendment to boot President Donald Trump from the White House now
- If Trump does not resign or the 25th is not used, the House will move forward on voting on articles of impeachment against the president on Wednesday
- In his eighth day before leaving office, Trump will travel on Tuesday to Texas to celebrate 400 miles of border wall completed in his four years in office
- This will be the first time Trump is seen publicly since last Wednesday, when he riled up a crowd before they marched over to the Capitol and stormed inside
The House will give Donald Trump one last chance to leave office before moving forward with impeachment Wednesday – but the president shows no indications of stepping aside as he plans to fly to Texas on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate 400 miles of border wall completed.
Democrats are demanding action on Tuesday with either the president resigning or Vice President Mike Pence invoking the 25th Amendment to get his boss out of the White House now.
If neither action is taken, the Democrat-majority House will plow ahead on Wednesday with voting on articles of impeachment over the president allegedly inciting a pro-Trump mob to storm the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, January 6.
House Republicans blocked an unanimous consent request on Monday seeking to quickly pass a resolution calling on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment. A full House vote on the measure is expected Tuesday evening as Trump faces his last eight days in office.
House Democrats will vote Tuesday to demand Mike Pence invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office now – just eight days before his term is up
In a show of ‘business as usual’, Trump will travel to Texas Tuesday to visit the U.S.-Mexico border and celebrate 400 miles of southern border wall competed during his presidency
Meanwhile, the president will travel to Texas to survey the southern border wall as he celebrates 400 miles completed during his presidency – putting on a ‘business as usual’ facade as his party continues to turn against him in the fallout from the Capitol riot last week.
Trump has not been seen in public since the day of the Capitol siege as he addressed his crowd of adoring supporters. He has released two videos, one calling for protesters to go home on Wednesday and another on Thursday condemning the violence.
The president’s favorite means of communication was cut off last week when Twitter suspended his account permanently, saying it was concerned he could use it to incite further mayhem.
On Monday, Trump held a private ceremony awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the highest civilian honor – to Republican Representative, and ally, Jim Jordan. The Ohio lawmaker was one of the dozens to object to the Electoral College results even after the Capitol was breached by the pro-Trump mob.
The 25th Amendment has never been used before, but it allows a majority of the Cabinet to strip the president of power if he or she is unable to discharge the office’s duties. Lawmakers and politicians have deemed this to be the instance with Trump – with some claiming he could use his final days to pardon those involved with the attack on the Capitol.
Pence advisers say he is opposed to using the 25th.
The violence at the Capitol caused a serious rift between Trump and Pence, and the two men did not speak for days, although they did meet at the White House on Monday. A senior administration official said they discussed the riot.
‘The two had a good conversation, discussing the week ahead and reflecting on the last four years of the administration’s work and accomplishments,’ the official added.
If Trump has not stepped down and Pence has not taken action by Wednesday, Democratic leaders said they will bring his impeachment to the House floor – one week after the riot that forced lawmakers into hiding for hours and left behind five dead, including a Capitol Police officer.
Democratic lawmakers introduced one article of impeachment on Monday, accusing Trump of inciting a violent insurrection with a fiery speech exhorting thousands of followers to march to the Capitol where Congress was working at the time to certify Joe Biden’s Nov. 3 election victory.
‘The president’s threat to America is urgent, and so too will be our action,’ Pelosi said when revealing the charge.
With only eight days left in Trump’s term, chances the Democratic drive will result in his removal are a long shot.
Trump has not made any public appearances since he riled up a crowd with his speech last Wednesday before thousands of pro-Trump protesters marched to the Capitol and stormed inside the building to disrupt certification of the election for Joe Biden
Impeachment triggers a trial in the Republican-controlled Senate, which is in recess and not scheduled to return to Washington until Jan. 19, the day before Biden is to be sworn in. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will not end recess early for impeachment-related business.
A Senate conviction requires a two-thirds vote, which means at least 17 Republicans would have to break with a president who has maintained an iron grip over his party for four years.
There are reservations from Democrats with moving forward with impeachment now, claiming it could distract from the start of Biden’s presidential term and set the tone for more of the same divisiveness.
President-elect Joe Biden raised concerns with this path on Monday, claiming he asked congressional leaders if impeachment can be managed alongside the presidential transition.
Biden said if an impeachment trial is held at the start of his administration, he hopes the Senate would be able to conduct normal business at the same time, perhaps by splitting its hours in half.
Some Democrats have expressed concern that a trial could hamper Biden’s agenda, slowing down confirmation of his appointees and distracting from legislative priorities such as a new coronavirus relief package.
Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said Sunday that the House would hold off on sending the articles to the Senate until after Biden’s first 100 days in office.
Republican Representative Tom Reed wrote in a New York Times op-ed that he and House colleagues will introduce a censure resolution against Trump on Tuesday as an alternative to a ‘rushed, divisive’ impeachment.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democratic members on a conference call on Monday that a censure ‘would be an abdication of our responsibility,’ according to a source familiar with the call.
Democrats will take control of the Senate once the two winners of last week’s runoff elections in Georgia are seated later this month, creating a 50-50 split and giving Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote.
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, the most right-leaning Democrat in the Senate, told Fox News on Monday he viewed the impeachment drive as ‘ill-advised’ given how unlikely conviction appears to be.
Trump, who initially praised his supporters even after the violence unfolded, delivered an uncharacteristically subdued video statement on Thursday denouncing the attack and vowing a smooth transition of power.
He did not, however, concede defeat in the election.
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