Illinois congressman calls for 25th amendment to oust Trump
(The Center Square) – U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Thursday became the first Republican member of Congress to call for President Donald Trump’s immediate removal from office.
It comes a day after violence and looting by a pro-Trump mob at the Capitol while lawmakers were inside certifying the presidential election results.
In a video message posted on Twitter, Kinzinger asked for Trump’s cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment.
“The president is unfit and the president is unwell, and the president must now relinquish control of the executive branch voluntarily or involuntarily,” said Kinzinger.
The 25th Amendment was written primarily as a protection for when a president is incapacitated, mentally or physically. If invoked, Vice President Mike Pence would serve as president until Joe Biden takes the oath of office on Jan. 20.
Scores of Democrats are on board with the move, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Pelosi told reporters she would be prepared to vote on articles of impeachment if it doesn’t happen.
Pelosi called Trump a dangerous man who the country can’t afford to keep in the White House for his final two weeks of his term.
At this point, Kinzinger is the only Republican to go on record calling for Trump’s dismissal. But within minutes that protesters breached the Capitol Wednesday afternoon, Republicans were reportedly revisiting the idea of removing Trump from office, a choice that most all passed on making a year ago during last year’s impeachment trial.
Kinzinger’s willingness to take on Trump and his own party has prompted speculation that he is possibly positioning himself for higher officer, perhaps a run against Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker or Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth in 2022.
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