(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — There have been discussions among some members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet and his allies over invoking the 25th Amendment, a potential vehicle for removing the president from office, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the discussions told ABC News.
It’s unclear how extensive these conversations have been or whether Vice President Mike Pence is supportive of such action. Many of the president’s allies were horrified by Wednesday’s violence at the Capitol as well as President Trump’s apparent lack of urgency in marshaling resources to stop the mob, the sources said.
The 25th Amendment, which was ratified in 1967 in the wake of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, lays out the procedures for replacing the president in the event of death, removal, resignation or incapacitation.
Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Thursday became the first Republican to publicly call for the invocation of the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office.
John Kelly, President Trump’s former chief of staff, told CNN on Thursday that if he were still in the Cabinet, he’d vote to invoke the 25th Amendment.
Democrats have also joined calls to remove President Trump from office. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday called on Vice President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and threatened to start impeachment proceedings if Pence doesn’t agree.
Four people are dead following Wednesday’s violent protests in Washington, D.C., where supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol.
One woman and two men suffered “medical emergencies” during the anarchy and have subsequently died, according to Robert Contee, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.
Another woman was shot and killed during a standoff inside the Capitol between law enforcement and protesters, Conte said.
The woman was shot by a U.S. Capitol Police officer in plainclothes, after “multiple individuals forced entry into the Capitol building” and “attempted to gain access to the House room, which was still in session,” according to Conte.