Trump cabinet members 'discuss using 25th amendment to remove him from office'
7 January 2021, 04:31
Members of Donald Trump's cabinet have reportedly held discussions about using the 25th Amendment to the constitution to declare him unfit for office.
According to CNN, a "growing number" of Republican leaders and Cabinet officials are asking whether the provision can be invoked to have Donald Trump removed from office.
Four called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, and two others said the President should be impeached, said CNN.
Invoking the 25th Amendment would require Vice President Mike Pence and a majority of the Cabinet to vote to remove Trump from office due to his inability to "discharge the powers and duties of his office."
US business leaders have also called for the power to be invoked.
Jay Timmons, head of the US National Association of Manufacturers, issued a statement saying: "Vice President Pence, who was evacuated from the Capitol, should seriously consider working with the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to preserve democracy".
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Former President George W Bush said the scenes at the US Capitol were a "sickening and heartbreaking sight."
He said he was "appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement."
Mitt Romney called the attack on the Capitol an "insurrection" and said Donald Trump "stirred [supporters] to action".
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee Democrats wrote to Mike Pence urging him to invoke the 25th.
"President Trump revealed that he is not mentally sound and is still unable to process and accept the results of the 2020 election," they wrote.
"President Trump’s willingness to incite violence and social unrest to overturn the election results by force clearly meet this standard, so too are his recent tweets, which Twitter has since deleted, saying the election was “stolen” and that today’s riots “are the things and events that happen.”
"For the sake of our democracy, we emphatically urge you to invoke the 25th Amendment and begin the process of removing President Trump from power," they concluded.
