They join a growing push to hold Trump accountable for inciting violence in D.C.
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Following the unprecedented riot by supporters of Donald Trump in the U.S. capitol, which was incited by Trump himself, a growing number of people, both Democrats and Republicans, are now calling for him to be removed from office.
Among the more notable examples, Rep. Ilhan Omar says she is drafting new articles of impeachment, while Vermont’s Republican Governor has demanded Trump either resign, or be removed by force from the presidency.
“I am drawing up Articles of Impeachment. Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate,” Omar said in a statement posted to Twitter Wednesday afternoon. “We can’t allow him to remain in office, it’s a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath.”
“There is no doubt that the President’s delusion, fabrication, self-interest, and ego have led us – step by step – to this very low, and very dangerous, moment in American history,” Gov. Phil Scott said as part of a 6-part statement on the violence in Washington. “The fabric of our democracy and the principles of our republic are under attack by the President. Enough is enough. President Trump should resign or be removed from office by his Cabinet, or by the Congress.”
They weren’t alone. Massachusetts Democratic congresswoman Ayanna Pressley also called for Trump’s impeachment and removal from office “as soon as Congress reconvenes, calling his conduct “dangerous & unacceptable.”
And according to Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel, fellow Massachusetts Democrat Katherine Clark, assistant Speaker of the House and the fourth ranking Democrat, said “Donald Trump is a traitor to our country and our Constitution. He must be removed from office and prevented from further endangering our country and our people.”
And according to White House correspondent April D. Ryan, “Congressional leaders are in the undisclosed location and focusing on the 25th Amendment to get @realDonaldTrump out of office!”
Trump incited the riot Wednesday morning when he made an appearance at the so-called “Save America” rally in Washington, held in protest of Joe Biden’s overwhelming victory in November. Trump told attendees “we will never concede,” lied that Vice President Mike Pence has the power to overturn the election (he does not), and continually advanced falsehoods about election fraud while urging his supporters not to “take it.” Trump then exhorted supporters to march to the Capitol to “give our Republicans the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.” In other words, to encourage Republicans to somehow overturn the legitimate results of the election.
His supporters attempted to do just that, marching to the Capitol and, eventually, breaking past police barriers — there is of course evidence Capitol Police simply let them in — storm the building, forcing members of congress to evacuate. Some even brought explosive devices with them. Since then the rioters, who Biden aptly described as “bordering on sedition,” have vandalized the premises and stolen items from it. They continued to occupy the building until just before 5:00 p.m. ET. Almost no arrests have taken place.
After several hours of this, and only after President-Elect Biden demanded that Trump do something, Trump tweeted a video of himself ostensibly urging rioters to stop their insurrection attempt. However, he began the video by flat-out lying that he won the 2020 election by a “landslide,” continued to advance his thoroughly baselessly claim that President-elect Joe Biden’s victory was the result of widespread voter fraud, and specifically told rioters that he loved them and that they are “very special people.”
Twitter made the video post impossible to retweet, like or comment on, adding a label that said Trump’s “claim of election fraud is disputed” and the tweet carried “a risk of violence.”
Actress Ilana Glazer tagged Twitter and CEO Jack Dorsey when she asked, “How are you keeping his video on this platform?” She said the video was “dangerous” and created violence before calling Twitter’s decision-makers “accomplices.”
Facebook for its part has deleted the video. “This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump’s video. We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence,” Guy Rosen, Facebook’s vice president of Integrity said in a statement.
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