House asks Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, but he has already rejected the idea

The House approved a resolution formally calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, which allows a cabinet majority to remove a president from office if they deem him unfit. The resolution requires Pence to respond within 24 hours, or the House will move forward with impeachment proceedings against the president.

Before the House voted on the resolution, Pence said in a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he would not invoke the 25th Amendment. The vice president said he “does not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our nation or in accordance with our Constitution.”

But some Congressional Republicans are starting to break with the president after a deadly attack on the Capitol last week by a violent mob of Trump supporters. Five Republicans, including MP Liz Cheney, the third-largest Republican in the House, have said they will vote to impeach Mr. Trump.

“There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,” Cheney said in a statement Tuesday, accusing the president of inciting violence among his supporters. In a speech at a rally just hours before rioters invaded Capitol Hill, Mr. Trump has repeatedly refused to give in, urged Republican lawmakers to try to annul the election, and encouraged supporters to “fight like hell”.

The House is expected to move forward with an impeachment vote on Wednesday. An impeachment article presented to the House on Monday and backed by more than 200 Democrats accuses Mr. Trump of “inciting insurgency,” and says he “has seriously endangered the security of the United States and of its governmental institutions “.

A report released by Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday night said the president “committed a felony and misdemeanor against the nation by inciting an insurgency on Capitol Hill in an effort to overturn presidential election results of 2020 “.

Some Republicans have denounced the president, but refused to go so far as to say they were going to impeach him. A group of six House Republicans introduced a resolution on Tuesday condemning Mr. Trump for “illegally attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election and violating his oath of office” on Jan.6. Unlike impeachment, censorship would have no practical consequences, but would simply be a formal condemnation.

The president refused to take responsibility for the deadly assault that left five people dead. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Mr. Trump said his speech to supporters before they stormed Capitol Hill was “entirely appropriate.”