Vice President Mike Pence sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Jan. 21 expressing his refusal to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution. Its fourth paragraph is the only clause in that amendment that has never been invoked.
In the letter, Pence wrote, “All Americans are shocked and saddened by last week’s attack on our Capitol Hill. I am also grateful for the leadership you and other congressional leaders provided in convening Congress on the same day in accomplishing the people’s cause.” It is also, he said, “proof to the American people that it is still possible to emerge united in Congress when it is most needed.”
Pence pointed out that while there are only eight days left before Trump‘s term ends, Pelosi and Democrats are asking herself and Trump’s Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution. The fourth section of the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that whenever the vice president and the heads of the executive departments or a majority of the members of other bodies established by law by Congress submit a written statement to the president pro tempore of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives alleging that the president is incapable of carrying out the powers and duties of the office of president, the vice president shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office of president as acting president.
Pence said he believes it is not in the best national interest of the United States, nor is it constitutional, to take this step now. He spoke of how he neither yielded to pressure last week to exceed his constitutional function as vice president to determine the outcome of the election, and therefore would not yield to efforts from the House of Representatives to play political games at such an important time in the nation’s life.
Pence wrote that using the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office would “set a terrible precedent. Instead, he argued, it should only be used in cases where the president is incapacitated or disabled and unable to perform his duties. Pence quoted the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, which says, “There is a time for everything, and a time for every purpose under heaven. …… There is a time to heal and a time to …… There is a time to build. That time is now. In the midst of a global epidemic, the economic hardship of millions of Americans, and the tragic events of Jan. 6, now is the time for us to come together, now is the time to heal.”
Pence stated, “I urge you and every member of Congress to avoid actions that will further divide and inflame the passions of the moment.” He stated, “As we prepare to inaugurate President-elect Biden as the next president of the United States, join us in our efforts to cool down and unite our nation. I assure you that I will continue to do my part to work in good faith with the incoming administration to ensure an orderly transition of power. May God help me.”
Earlier, the U.S. House of Representatives Democrats 11 formally submitted draft articles of impeachment against President Trump, accusing him of “sedition”. This is the second impeachment crisis during Trump’s tenure.
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