Pence Said to Oppose Removing Trump Under 25 Amendment
WASHINGTON – Vice President Mike Pence is opposed invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald, with just days to go before the inauguration of Joe Biden as the next president, according to multiple reports
Business Insider was the first publication to report on Pence’s opposition to the move, citing anonymous advisors.
The New York Times later confirmed the report, saying its information came from a person close to the vice president.
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers had been urging Pence to invoke the 54-year-old amendment which is intended to ensure the government continues to function should a sitting president be deemed unfit to perform presidential duties.
A majority of the Trump Cabinet and Pence would have to agree the president is unfit to serve for him to be removed.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and others have argued that the 25th Amendment should be invoked quickly, before Trump could incite more violence in the wake of a riot at the Capitol Wednesday that left four people dead.
In related news, Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a joint statement on Thursday evening that Pence had not yet returned their call after they reached out to discuss invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office.
“This morning, we placed a call to Vice President Pence to urge him to invoke the 25th Amendment which would allow the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to remove the president for his incitement of insurrection and the danger he still poses,” they said. “We have not yet heard back from the vice president.
“The president’s dangerous and seditious acts necessitate his immediate removal from office. We look forward to hearing from the vice president as soon as possible and to receiving a positive answer as to whether he and the Cabinet will honor their oath to the Constitution and the American people,” they added.