House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump. She then threatened impeachment proceedings if he does not.
"I join the Senate Democratic leader is calling on the vice president to remove this president by immediately invoking the 25th amendment," Pelosi said during a press conference on Thursday. "If the vice president and cabinet do not act, Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment."
Yesterday, American democracy came under attack — but we refuse to be bullied into abandoning our duty to work #ForThePeople. https://t.co/6KoVAVbZh7
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 7, 2021
Pelosi’s presser comes as several high-ranking Democrats — and some Republicans — have called for President Donald Trump’s removal from office, via the invocation of the 25th Amendment or impeachment.
Pelosi’s Democratic colleague in the Senate, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, has already called for Trump’s removal from office. In a statement released Thursday, Schumer said that the “quickest and most effective way” would be for Trump’s cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment.
During her press conference, Pelosi said Trump is "a very dangerous person who should not continue in office."
“By inciting sedition as he did yesterday, he must be removed from office. While there are only 13 days left, any day could be a horror show for America," Pelosi said.
One Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger publicly called on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment. On Twitter, Kinzinger said, “It’s time to invoke the 25th Amendment and to end this nightmare.”
At least a dozen Democrats, along with Schumer and Pelosi, have also called on the vice president to invoke the 25th Amendment.
For the 25th Amendment to be invoked, a majority of the 15 Cabinet Secretaries and the Vice President have to agree and then send formal documents to Congress for consideration and approval.
Pelosi also called Trump "a complete tool of Putin" during the press conference. She added that as long as Trump still sits in the White House, "we are in a very dangerous position."
“Putin’s goal was to diminish the view of democracy in the world," Pelosi said. "That’s what he has been about ... the president gave him the biggest, of all of his many gifts to Putin, the biggest yesterday."
Rep. Ilhan Omar said in a statement on Wednesday that she planned to draw up articles of impeachment against Trump.
“We can’t allow him to remain in office, it’s a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath,” Omar said.