Democrat lawmakers introduced a resolution on Monday with more than 200 signatures in the House of Representatives to impeach President Trump, and a vote could be held as early as Wednesday if Vice President Mike Pence does not invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.
The four-page impeachment resolution was introduced by Rep. David Cicilline, who tweeted text of the document on Monday that accuses Trump of “incitement of insurrection”
“I can report that we now have the votes to impeach,” Cicilline said, adding that the impeachment resolution has the support of 213 of his colleagues.
“President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,” the document reads. “He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power , and imperiled a coequal branch of Government. He therefore betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer separately introduced H.Res.21, a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to declare Trump “incapable of executing the duties of his office, and to immediately exercise powers as acting president.” The resolution gives Pence 24 hours to act, after which, Democrats will vote on the impeachment articles.
Hoyer tried to pass the measure with Unanimous Consent, but was blocked after Rep. Alex Mooney objected to the measure. Hoyer said he will bring the resolution to the House floor for a vote on Tuesday.
Democrats have said they prefer Pence take the action to remove Trump instead of Congress’ impeachment.
“As lawmakers who have impeached this president once before, we do not take this responsibility lightly. In fact, it was not our first choice of action. In the midst of last Wednesday’s siege, we were among those that asked Vice President Mike Pence to convene the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to quickly remove Mr. Trump from office. We have called on the president to resign,” Cicilline wrote in a New York Times op-ed on Monday.
“Days have passed, and it is clear that neither of those possibilities will be realized. So it is Congress’s responsibility to act,” he added.
