DES MOINES, Iowa – In the aftermath of the Capitol Building being stormed while Congress certified the Electoral College vote, U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, said that President Donald Trump was responsible for inciting the attack.
Numerous protestors who took part in at the “Save America March” on Wednesday breeched locked doors initially overwhelming Capitol Police officers who were caught unprepared. Members of the House and Senate were evacuated from the building until all of the protestors inside the building were dispersed. The riot delayed the certification by several hours and four protestors died, one from a gunshot wound, and three others due to what the Capitol Police called “medical emergencies.”
The president has claimed the election was fraudulent and cast doubt on the results before Election Day. He refuses to concede.
“All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by emboldened radical Democrats,” Trump told protestors on Wednesday before the riot. “We will never give up. We will never concede. It will never happen. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore.”
Axne said there must be consequences.
“The violence, insurrection, and unfortunate loss of life that we witnessed yesterday is unacceptable, and there must be consequences for both those that attacked the Capitol and those who incited their actions in the first place,” she said.
“President Trump invited and induced these acts of treason. And through his four years in office, he has undermined the integrity of our institutions, elections, and the very foundation of our democracy. Even as the mob continued looting our nation’s capitol yesterday, President Trump used his position of power to praise and thank those acting in his name.
“The President’s words and actions have grown increasingly dangerous and erratic, and I believe he poses a critical danger to our citizens and to our Constitution. It is not safe for him to retain the powers of commander in chief for two more weeks. The 25th Amendment must be immediately invoked to remove him from office,” Axne added.
Section 4 of the 25th Amendment gives the Vice President and a majority of his cabinet the ability to remove the President from power upon their written declaration that the President is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
The President can contest that giving Congress the responsibility to decide, but has 21 days to act on the transmission to the letter, or up to 23 days if Congress is not in session. Congress wouldn’t have to act considering the inauguration on January 20 well before the Constitutional deadline for a vote that requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers in order to make the removal permanent.
