Democrats began the process of impeaching President Donald Trump for a second time on Monday if Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet do not remove him from office.
Democrats introduced a resolution calling on Pence to invoke the Constitution’s 25th Amendment and remove Trump from the White House for being unfit to discharge his duties.
Republicans blocked an immediate vote on the resolution and Democrats followed up by introducing an article of impeachment of Trump for “incitement of insurrection” over his role in Wednesday’s storming of the US Capitol by his supporters.
The dramatic moves come just nine days before Trump leaves the White House and President-elect Joe Biden is to be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States.
Democratic Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland introduced the resolution calling on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and declare Trump “incapable of executing his official duties.”
Republican Representative Alex Mooney of West Virginia objected to passing the resolution by what is known as “unanimous consent” and will be put to the vote on Tuesday, AFP reports.
After Republicans blocked the resolution, a single impeachment article against Trump was introduced in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives.
The House impeached Trump in December 2019 and now risks being the first president ever to be impeached twice.
The Republican-controlled Senate acquitted him following his last impeachment, and it is unclear whether the body would hold a trial this time to consider the latest charges.
