U.S. Democrats on Monday accelerated the process of initiating President Trump‘s impeachment while demanding that Vice President Mike Pence invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution within 24 hours to force Trump to surrender power. However, Trump and Pence met Monday night in the Oval Office of the White House.
Democratic lawmakers asked Vice President Pence in a filing Monday to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, declaring that Trump is no longer able to effectively perform the duties of the presidency. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned Monday that failure to do so would put the Republican Party and Trump in a “complicit” relationship that would put the United States at risk. However, there has been no response from Pence.
Trump and Pence, who met for the first time since the outbreak of violence in Congress last Wednesday, had a “good talk”, a senior U.S. official told AFP.
The same source noted that Trump has no intention of resigning before January 20. And Vice President Pence has no desire to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to make Trump resign. Under the 25th Amendment, the vice president, with the support of his cabinet members, declares that the president is no longer fit to perform his duties, forcing him to resign.
The same source noted that the president and vice president “unanimously reaffirmed that those who intrude on Congress in violation of the law cannot represent the ‘America First’ movement supported by 75 million American voters.” “They pledged that both would work to the end of their terms for the sake of the country.”
Pence announced in a letter Wednesday that he would not block Congress from certifying the results of the U.S. presidential election despite repeated previous pressure from Trump, which drew the ire of Trump and his supporters.
“Pence is not brave enough to do what he should do to protect our country and our Constitution,” Trump tweeted at the time, shortly after some of his supporters stormed Congress.
Monday was the first time the two met since the congressional incident.
On Monday, Biden, who was once President Obama’s deputy, again avoided taking a position on the initiation of impeachment against Trump, saying vaguely, “I have said unequivocally that President Trump should not be in office.”
It was noted that the first part of activating Section 4 of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution is for the vice president and most cabinet members to send a letter to the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate stating unanimously that the president is no longer able to perform his duties. This action immediately strips the President of his powers and the Vice President becomes the Acting President. However, the president may also immediately write to the two congressional leaders stating that he or she is able to perform his or her duties. This action results in the immediate restoration of the presidency. However, if the vice president and a majority of the cabinet members send another letter to Congress insisting on their position, the vice president again becomes the acting president immediately; meanwhile, Congress must assemble within 48 hours and vote within 21 days to permanently remove the president with the support of two-thirds or more of both houses of Congress.
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