Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday called for Vice President Mike Pence and members of President Trump's Cabinet to remove him from office via the 25th Amendment.
Why it matters: It's a drastic demand by the top Democrat in the Senate, underscoring the severity of the situation after the insurrection at the Capitol on Wednesday. Some confidants and Republican officials have privately consider invoking the 25th Amendment, which has long been dismissed as a liberal fantasy.
- Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), a frequent critic of the president, became the first Republican in Congress to call for the 25th Amendment to be invoked.
- Schumer said that if the Cabinet does not exercise the 25th Amendment, Congress should reconvene to impeach and remove Trump. No president has ever been impeached twice.
What they're saying: “What happened at the U.S. Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president. This president should not hold office one day longer," he said in a statement.
- “The quickest and most effective way — it can be done today — to remove this president from office would be for the Vice President to immediately invoke the 25th amendment. If the Vice President and the Cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress should reconvene to impeach the president.”
Of note: Congress is out of session until Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20.