Hawaii’s Congressional delegation is joining the calls for President Donald Trump to be removed from office following upheaval Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
Lawmakers, working to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory, were forced to evacuate the U.S. Capitol as an angry mob, encouraged by Trump, stormed the building.
Rather than “taking the easy resign route,” U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono tweeted today that Vice President Mike Pence and Trump’s cabinet should invoke the 25th amendment “to save our country from this dangerous president.”
In a response to that tweet, U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele responded that if Pence won’t invoke the 25h amendment, Congress must impeach Trump immediately.
“He is a national disgrace and does not deserve to serve another day in office,” Kahele continued. “Censure is not enough, he must be removed from office.”
According to the Associated Press, Section 4 of the 25th amendment says that the vice president and majority of the Cabinet can declare the president unfit. They then would send a letter to the speaker of the House and president pro tempore of the Senate saying so. The vice president then becomes acting president.
The president can send his own letter saying he is fit to serve, the AP reports. But if the vice president and majority of the Cabinet disagree, they can send another letter to Congress within four days. Congress would then have to vote. The president resumes his duties unless both houses of Congress by a two-thirds vote say the president is not ready.
Kahele also said on Twitter that he informed U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., the he would sign as a co-sponsor articles of impeachment that were being drafted.
“It is time to remove the president from office,” he said.
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz called for both the 25th amendment to be invoked and for impeachment proceedings to begin.
“Trump is a danger to democracy itself,” he said in a statement. “I took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We must both initiate impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives and invoke the 25th amendment. Our vigilance must increase, not wane, in the final days.”
