Pence Opposes Invoking 25th Amendment Against Trump: Source

Pence Opposes Invoking 25th Amendment Against Trump: Source
Vice President Mike Pence (L) watches as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reacts after reaching out to shake hands with President Donald Trump as he arrives to deliver the State of the Union address in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Feb. 4, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
1/8/2021
Updated:
1/12/2021

Vice President Mike Pence has no plan to invoke the 25th Amendment against President Donald Trump, a source close to Pence said.

The source, a Trump administration official who chose to remain anonymous, told The Epoch Times that there is no possibility of Pence invoking the 25th.

At least three Democrats and one Republican member of Congress have called for the usage of the 25th Amendment, which was adopted in 1967. It states that if a sitting vice president and a cabinet majority concur that the president is not fit to perform his duties, the president can be removed and the vice president can take over the presidency.

“The situation of this unhinged president could not be more dangerous,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) wrote in a letter to House Democrats on Friday. “If the president does not leave office imminently and willingly, the Congress will proceed with our action.”

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden (L) greets Vice President Mike Pence as they attend a ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial in New York to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, on Sept. 11, 2020. (Angela Weiss/AFP)
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden (L) greets Vice President Mike Pence as they attend a ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial in New York to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, on Sept. 11, 2020. (Angela Weiss/AFP)

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also called for Trump’s removal from office.

“What happened at the U.S. Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president,” Schumer said in a statement on Thursday. “This president should not hold office one day longer.”

He added, “If the vice president and the cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress should reconvene to impeach the president.”

Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) also called for the impeachment of the president in a Twitter video.

“All indications are that the president has become unmoored, not just from his duty or even his oath, but from reality itself. It is for this reason that I call for the vice president and members of the Cabinet to ensure the next few weeks are safe for the American people and that we have a sane captain of the ship,” he said.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) introduced articles of impeachment on Thursday.

She said in a statement: “Yesterday, we saw domestic enemies incite violence and invade the people’s house with intent to harm. Enough is enough! The president has completely lost whatever moral authority he had and is unfit as commander in chief.”

In her letter Pelosi wrote that she had spoken to Gen. Mark Milley “to discuss available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes.”

Trump has made no threats of that nature.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he doesn’t support Trump’s removal.

“I do not believe that’s appropriate at this point. I’m looking for a peaceful transfer. I’m looking for the next 14 days to reset, and we will hand off power in a traditional sense,” Graham told reporters on Capitol Hill.

Jan Jekielek contributed to the report.