Mike Pence has refused to use the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office in the wake of the violent and deadly Capitol riots.
In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Pence said that he did not believe invoking the amendment a week before Trump's term comes to an end was "in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution."
He encouraged Congress to focus on Joe Biden’s inauguration rather than on Trump.
"In the midst of a global pandemic, economic hardship for millions of Americans and the tragic events of January 6th now is the time for us to come together, now is the time for us to heal," Pence wrote.
"I urge you and every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment."
On Tuesday (January 12), the House of Representatives convened to vote to urge Pence to invoke the 25th amendment.
The final vote was 223 to 205 to call on Pence to declare Mr. Trump "incapable of executing the duties of his office and to immediately exercise powers as acting president."
However, Pence said in the letter that this should only be reserved for cases of medical or mental incapacitation and not "as a means of punishment or usurpation."
The House Speaker has said that if the Vice President refuses to use the 25th Amendment, the House will move to impeach the president again.
Per Sky News, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy will not ask members of the party to vote against impeachment.
A handful of Republicans have publically said that they would vote to impeach.
Liz Cheney, the daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney and the third most senior Republican in the House of Representatives said she would vote to impeach the president.
"There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution," she said in a statement.
Cheney also said Trump "summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack" on the Capitol last Wednesday.
Three more Republican House members including John Katko, Adam Kinzinger, and Fred Upton have said they would also vote for impeachment.
A vote to impeach Trump will take place on Wednesday, (January 13). It would then move to the Senate for trial, with senators assuming roles as jurors.
While there is little time to impeach Trump before he leaves office in a week, the Senate would still be able to prevent him from running for office ever again.
Yesterday, Trump referred to plans of impeaching him for a second time as a "hoax".
"The impeachment hoax is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch-hunt in the history of our country and is causing tremendous anger and division and pain far greater than most people will ever understand."
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