SACRAMENTO, Calif. — At least two dozen California Democrats are calling for the immediate removal of President Donald Trump from office the day after thousands of his radicalized supporters breached the U.S. Capitol.
"You don't use a term like sedition lightly," California Rep. Ami Bera said. "But what the President did was he incited a mob. He directed them to march down to the Capitol, and we saw what happened at the United States Capitol. So for the President to say he doesn't bear any responsibility, the responsibility goes directly back to the President of the United States."
On Thursday, calls intensified on Vice President Mike Pence and members of the president' cabinet to invoke the 25th amendment and to deem the president unfit to hold office.
"We're seeing some of the senior leadership, Cabinet secretaries, resigning. To me, those resignations are not acts of courage, [they are] acts of cowardice because if they think this President is unfit to serve. I want them to find the courage to step out there and tell us that, because many of us feel that based on the actions [Wednesday], the President is unfit to serve," Bera said.
“If the Vice President and Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment. That is the overwhelming sentiment of my caucus,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
Democratic Rep.Ted Lieu, tweeted in part, "In America, you don't get to have one free coup attempt." He added that more than 100 members signed onto Articles of Impeachment to be ready Monday, including Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui.
On the other side of the aisle, Rep.Rep. Tom McClintock called Wednesday's insurrection political terrorism. And though McClintock said the President betrayed trust in his supporters...
"Using violence for political ends is terrorism, that's the very definition," McClintock said.
McClintock was one of two California Republicans who did not challenge Electoral College vote certification. Doing so, he argued, would set a dangerous precedent of giving Congress undue power to overturn state's electoral votes.
While McClintock said he abhorred the President's actions over the past few weeks, he said he doesn't believe it warrants impeachment or efforts to remove the President from office.
"Abusing the Constitution in order to deliver political vengeance, and to further divide the country's interests to me is deplorable," he said.
McClintock said the 25th amendment is not meant to address bad conduct, rather incapacitation of the Commander in Chief.
Continue the conversation with Van on Facebook.
