Nancy Pelosi calls for Trump to be removed from office

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on Thursday called on President Trump to be removed from office for his role in inciting a violent mob that stormed the Capitol and broke into the ground of the House a day earlier.

Ms Pelosi called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, which allows him and the Cabinet to take power as President from Mr Trump. His remarks echoed a similar statement made earlier by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader.

If Mr Pence did not, Ms Pelosi said she and other members of Congress “may be ready” to move forward with impeaching the president for a second time.

“The President of the United States has instigated an armed insurgency against America,” Pelosi said at a press conference in Washington. “By calling for this seditious act, the president has committed indescribable aggression against our nation and our people.”

Ms Pelosi said she hoped to get a response from Mr Pence during the day.

Mr. Trump has only 13 days left as president. Since Wednesday’s attack on Capitol Hill, a number of Democrats and Republicans have publicly stated that Mr. Trump should not be allowed to complete his term.

During the siege, Ms. Pelosi’s office was invaded and vandalized. Intruders in his suite knocked over desks and smashed photos, and at least one person tore a piece of a wooden plaque that marked the entrance to the speaker’s office from a wall.

Ms Pelosi, a frequent target of Mr Trump, described the events as “horrors that will forever stain our nation’s history, at the behest of the President of the United States.”

She said she was calling for the resignation of the Capitol Police Chief, who has been criticized for his response to the crowd. The officers seemed easily overwhelmed by the crushing of people outside the Capitol.

Ms Pelosi also said House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving, who is responsible for security in the chamber and its office buildings, would resign from his post.