Representatives urge Pence to activate amendment to remove Trump, who has already ruled out doing so

First modification: 01/13/2021 – 03:59

With 222 votes in favor and 202 against, the House of Representatives approved on Tuesday the non-binding resolution to ask the vice president of the country, Mike Pence, to invoke section 4 of Amendment 25 of the Constitution, in order to deprive the agent of his functions.

However, for the activation of this constitutional path, the support of the country’s vice president, currently Mike Pence, is essential, who anticipated and before the end of the vote in the lower house issued a letter in which he made it clear that he opposes withdrawing Trump from office.

“I do not believe that this course of action is in the best interest of our nation or is conscientious with our Constitution,” declared Pence in the letter addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

For the activation of Amendment 25 to be possible, the vice president and a majority of cabinet officials would have to declare the head of state “unable to exercise the rights and duties of his office.”

Given Pence’s overwhelming rejection, this legal way to remove the head of state is ruled out, who hours before had already shown confidence that this impulse against him would not work.

Nonetheless, the Democrats are still holding on to their second ace up their sleeve.

The House of Representatives votes this Wednesday on a possible second impeachment process against Trump

The second legal option is to take the president to impeachment. A procedure that looms even more complicated, especially given the short time that Democrats have before the change of government on January 20.

The vote on an article of impeachment that accuses Trump of inciting insurrection is scheduled for this Wednesday, January 13.

In case it is approved in this chamber, the procedure must then be taken to the Senate to determine his guilt. It takes a two-thirds majority in the upper house to convict him, which means that at least 17 Republicans would have to vote for the impeachment.

And although some conservative legislators have turned their backs on the president in recent days by announcing that they would support the impeachment, it is still not certain that there are all the necessary votes.

But beyond the eagerness to remove Trump from the Executive when he has only one week left in office, Democrats seek to use impeachment to promote a vote that prevents the tycoon from running again to occupy the White House.

Disqualifying Trump from a future position only takes a simple majority, according to legal experts. The outgoing president has already expressed his interest in seeking the Presidency again in the 2024 elections.

With Reuters and local media