The House of Representatives calls on Pence to benefit from the 25th Amendment and remove Trump

Democrats blame Donald Trump for his supporters storming the Capitol last week.

In a Tuesday resolution, the House of Representatives called on US Vice President Mike Pence to use the 25th amendment to the constitution, which removes the president from office.

The resolution of the lower house of the US Congress is mostly symbolic, as Pence earlier on Tuesday rejected Democrats’ calls for the 25th amendment. “I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our country or consistent with the constitution,” wrote the vice-president in a letter to the head of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

The resolution was adopted by 223 votes to 205 votes. One Republican, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, joined the Democrats. Thus, almost all GOP congressmen opposed the resolution. In the discussion, some of them defended Trump’s actions as harmless, others denounced the president’s behavior but opposed his removal from office so close to the end of his term. Tom Cole of Oklahoma stressed that the decision to apply the 25th amendment was beyond Congressional powers.

On Wednesday, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives will vote on Trump’s impeachment article accusing him of “inciting an insurrection.” As expected, a dozen or even a few dozen Republicans will join those voting for the impeachment of the Democratic President.

At the heart of the matter is Trump’s speech ahead of his supporters’ assault on the Capitol on January 6. The US leader from before the White House said, inter alia, to his sympathizers: “If you don’t fight like hell, you won’t have a country anymore.”

After marching through downtown Washington, mobs forced their way into Congress, breaking windows and breaking cordons of security officials. Within three hours of chaos, parliamentarians were evacuated and some offices were looted. Five people were killed, including a policeman.

When asked Tuesday if he believed he was responsible for last week’s attack on the Capitol, Trump replied that his words at the time were “perfectly appropriate.”

Top-ranking U.S. military commanders in a statement condemned the incursion into the Capitol and reminded members of the security services of their duty to defend the constitution and fight extremism. The document highlights the unprecedented challenges facing the country.

“At Capitol Hill we witnessed activities that go against the rule of law. The right to freedom of speech and assembly gives no one the right to resort to violence, rebellion and insurrection, ”reads the text signed by General Mark Milley, chairman of the College of Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces and representatives of all types of American troops.

KW