In the aftermath of Wednesday’s spectacle of a pro-Trump mob literally breaking down the doors of the Capitol to demand that Congress reject the Electoral College results, Congresswoman Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, called for the removal of President Donald Trump either by way of the 25th Amendment or through impeachment.
“President Trump is a threat to our democracy and is incapable of carrying out his oath of office. There must be consequences for inciting violence and his abject failure to defend the Capitol yesterday,” Sewell said in a tweet.
“He must be removed from office—either by the 25th Amendment or impeachment,” she said.
President Trump is a threat to our democracy and is incapable of carrying out his oath of office. There must be consequences for inciting violence and his abject failure to defend the Capitol yesterday.
He must be removed from office—either by the 25th Amendment or impeachment.
— Rep. Terri A. Sewell (@RepTerriSewell) January 8, 2021
In another tweet, Sewell said:
“The President’s words matter. Trump incited the violence that led to the death of several Americans, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer. He must be held accountable.”
Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died late Thursday from injuries he received fighting the angry mob of Trump supporters. Sicknick was a 12-year veteran of the Capitol Police as well as an Iraq War veteran.
Sewell is also calling for an investigation of what went wrong with Capitol Hill security.
“It is not enough for the Capitol Police Chief to resign—Congress must carry out a thorough investigation into the riot at the Capitol yesterday,” Sewell said.
On Thursday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, both called for Trump’s cabinet and Vice President Mike Pence to remove President Trump using the 25th Amendment. Two members of Trump’s cabinet, Education Secretary Betsy De Vos and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao have both resigned following Wednesday’s unprecedented attack on the U.S. Capitol by an angry mob.
Democrats are moving ahead with impeachment, with representatives releasing a draft impeachment resolution Friday.
“President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power and imperiled a coordinate branch of government,” the legislation states.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarty, R-California, has come out against impeaching the president, saying:
“Impeaching the President with just 12 days left in his term will only divide our country more. I have reached out to President-elect Biden today and plan to speak to him about how we must work together to lower the temperature and unite the country to solve America’s challenges. The coronavirus is still coursing through our communities, businesses and workers are facing unprecedented stress, and children are falling behind. Threats from adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran are increasing. As leaders, we must call on our better angels and refocus our efforts on working directly for the American people. United we can deliver the peace, strength, and prosperity our country needs. Divided, we will fail.”
President-elect Joe Biden will not be inaugurated until Jan. 20. Trump remains the president until then unless he’s removed.
Congress has already impeached Trump once in 2019 for withholding financial aid to the Ukraine to try to force them to investigate alleged corruption by Biden, but the Republican-controlled Senate found Trump not guilty on both charges.
Anti-Trump conservative columnist Quin Hillyer, who lives in Mobile, said that the Senate made a mistake then, a mistake that has cost the Republican Party.
“If the Senate had done the right thing in 2019 and convicted Trump, Pence would have won re-election and the GOP would have kept the Senate. Of that, I feel very very confident,” Hillyer said on Twitter Friday.
Sewell represents Alabama’s 7th Congressional District.
