NC Democrats push for Trump’s removal before Biden’s inauguration
Less than two weeks remain in President Donald Trump’s term, but for some North Carolina Democrats even that’s too much time.
After pro-Trump rioters breached the Capitol and forced Congress to evacuate and lock down during the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory, several North Carolina lawmakers, including Gov. Roy Cooper, have called for Trump to be removed from office, either through the 25th Amendment process or through impeachment.
Trump spoke to the crowd earlier on Wednesday and vowed to march with them to the Capitol to “cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we are probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them — because you will never take back our country with weakness.”
The crowd eventually broke into the Capitol, damaging the building and occupying offices. Four people died, as law enforcement scrambled to protect elected officials and secure the building. A Capitol Hill police officer died Thursday night as a result of injuries sustained at the riot.
“President Trump invited violent rioters to the U.S. Capitol and encouraged the mob to breach the Capitol building and attempt a coup. This seditious act comes just days after he was caught on tape soliciting election fraud in the state of Georgia. He must be removed from office immediately,” said first-term Rep. Kathy Manning, a Greensboro Democrat, in a statement.
Section 4 of the 25th Amendment allows the vice president and a majority of members of the Cabinet to decide that the President is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office” and the vice president to assume the duties of acting president.
Democratic Reps. Alma Adams of Charlotte and David Price of Chapel Hill both said Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet should take that step.
“President Trump’s erratic behavior, his refusal to honor his constitutional duties, and his incitement of an attack on the very seat of democracy leave us no choice. It is too dangerous to wait until January 20th,” Price said in a statement that also blamed Republicans in Congress for the riot.
Adams said North Carolina Republicans, including the seven who voted to object to Pennsylvania’s election results on Thursday morning, “need to join with asking for this 25th Amendment to be invoked.”
Cooper also voiced his support for having Trump leave office before Jan. 20.
“This president has betrayed our country and is therefore unfit to lead it. He should resign or be removed from office,” he tweeted Thursday afternoon.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, called Thursday on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment immediately, and Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, from Illinois, became the first GOP lawmaker to call for it.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called for it and said the House could impeach Trump again as soon as next week. Trump was impeached by the U.S. House in late 2019, but was not convicted by the Senate in 2020.
Rep. Deborah Ross, a Wake County Democrat, said she supports Trump’s removal from office — via resignation, the 25th Amendment or impeachment.
“Our country is no longer safe with President Trump in a position of power and responsibility. A president who fails to act in the interest of democracy, the United States, and its people is not fit to lead,” Ross said in a statement Friday.
Ross said she is co-sponsoring articles of impeachment. So, too, is Price, who said Trump’s Georgia call and his “encouragement of violent events” before the riot at the Capitol warrant removal from office.
“What we have seen over the last few weeks rises to the level of impeachable conduct,” Rep. G.K. Butterfield of Wilson said in a statement Thursday. “The president is unstable, which should alarm his family, his cabinet, and supporters. Unfortunately, we do not have sufficient time to engage in an impeachment proceeding. However, the Presidential cabinet should immediately discuss invoking the 25th Amendment. The American people deserve better.”
Biden will be inaugurated on Jan. 20 after his Electoral College victory was certified early Thursday morning.
In a Saturday call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Trump urged state officials to “find 11,780 votes” for him, enough to give him a victory over Biden in the state.
Rep. Henry Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, introduced a resolution to censure and condemn Trump “for attempting to overturn the results of the November 2020 presidential election in the State of Georgia.” Adams and Butterfield are co-sponsors.
Democrats won two Senate runoff elections in Georgia on Tuesday to gain control of the chamber.
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This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 3:06 PM.
