California House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that if he did not resign “immediately,” the House would vote to convict President Donald Trump for his role in encouraging a violent mob assault on the Capitol, referring to Republicans to support the effort to drive him out of the office.
The speaker invoked the resignation of Richard Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal in a letter to House representatives, when Republicans prevailed over the president to resign and escape the embarrassment of impeachment, calling the actions of Trump a “horrific assault on our democracy.”
“Today, following the president’s dangerous and seditious acts, Republicans in Congress need to follow that example and call on Trump to depart his office — immediately,” she added. “If the president does not leave office imminently and willingly, Congress will proceed with our action.”
Pelosi even said that she had already spoken with Gen. Mark Milley who is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The talk was about “preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes.”
A spokesman for Milley, Col. Dave Butler, confirmed that the two had spoken and said the general had “answered her questions regarding the process of nuclear command authority.”
Leaders’ Anger Over Actions Of Trump:
Some leaders of the Defense Department conveyed frustration that congressional leaders appeared to be trying to get Congress and Cabinet secretaries, who have legal options to oust a president, to do the job for the Pentagon.
Trump, they added, is still the commander in chief, and the army is obligated to obey his lawful orders unless he is removed. Although military officials can refuse to execute orders that they consider unconstitutional, they cannot remove the president from the chain of command proactively. That, these officials said, would be a military coup.
Pelosi’s letter came as support for indictment rose rapidly Friday between rank-and-file Democrats across the political spectrum of the party, and possible support was provided by a few Republicans.
Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark, Democrat No. 4, said that if Vice President Mike Pence did not invoke the 25th Amendment to physically strip Trump of his duties, Democrats will be prepared by mid-next week to vote on impeachment.
An aide to Pelosi said Friday that, despite placing immense public pressure on him to act, she still had not heard from Pence. But Nancy Pence was said to be in opposition to doing so, and she was scheduling the things to make a move.
