As Trump supporters and protesters breach the US Capitol, people have called on Mike Pence to invoke the 25th amendment.
Following an address from President Trump, protesters clashed with police officers and breached the Capitol building, forcing a lockdown with members of Congress inside. As reported by ABC News and CNBC, the Senate has been forced to recess after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building.
Amid the chaos, CNBC also states: "Vice President Mike Pence was ushered out of the Senate as the U.S. Capitol Complex went into lockdown."
In response, Vice President Mike Pence has taken to Twitter to say: "The violence and destruction taking place at the US Capitol Must Stop and it Must Stop Now. Anyone involved must respect Law Enforcement officers and immediately leave the building."
People are now taking to social media to call for VP Pence to invoke the 25th amendment:
Congressman Seth Moulton tweeted this evening: "Trump is directly responsible for this insurrection and violence. He needs to be removed from office immediately. It is the Constitutional responsibility of Vice President Pence and the cabinet to exercise the power granted them by the 25th amendment."
Actor Tim Matheson wrote: "A real Vice President and real Cabinet members would invoke the 25th Amendment, and Mike Pence would become acting President immediately to calm the unrest caused by the soon to be Ex-President."
Director Bill Kristol added: "This is a good statement. Now go to the Oval Office and tell the President this to his face. And tell him if he continues to tolerate an insurrection he has encouraged, you will seek to invoke the 25th amendment."
Per New York Magazine:
More on breach in the videos below:"More than 50 years ago, the framers of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution foresaw the possibility of a president’s behavior becoming so unstable that it would prove necessary to have some constitutional mechanism to remove him immediately from office.
"Section Four of that amendment provides a process for doing so: If the vice-president and the majority of the Cabinet decide that, for whatever reason, the president has become unfit to carry out the powers and duties of the office and they transmit a letter to Congress to that effect, then the vice-president becomes the acting president and remains so unless and until Congress refuses to allow that transfer of power to stand."
Earlier this evening, Trump slammed Pence for refusing to intervene on the election results.
Per The Independent, Mike Pence instead declared in a letter to members of Congress: "It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrained me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not."
In response, Trump tweeted: "Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!"
The call comes after the outgoing US President Donald Trump revved-up his supporters at a rally near the White House, telling them: "We will never concede".
Watch Trump's address in the video below:Speaking prior to Congress assembling to count the electoral votes and officially certify Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election, Trump urged his supporters to march on the Capitol, and even told the crowd "I'll be with you".
Trump has also taken to Twitter to call for peace in an attempt to calm the protesters.
"Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!"
In a follow-up tweet, the outgoing president wrote: "I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!"
