U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit is doubling down on her 2019 commitment to “impeach the motherfucker” — the motherfucker, of course, being none other than the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump.
Tlaib's most recent call for impeachment comes after Trump incited unprecedented violence at the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday, which found a mob of right-wing rioters injuring police, smashing windows, leaving cryptic and threatening messages on the desks of representatives, trashing offices of public officials, and using the Senate chamber as a psychotic photo opportunity — all in hopes of overthrowing the certification of President-Elect Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States.
“This is on Donald Trump, period. He called folks to D.C. and gave them marching orders. He needs to be impeached and removed immediately,” Tlaib wrote on Twitter.
This is on Donald Trump, period. He called folks to D.C. and gave them marching orders. He needs to be impeached and removed immediately.
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) January 6, 2021
After writing on Twitter that she was safe from the violence but heartbroken, Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar said she is drafting up Articles of Impeachment as a result of Wednesday's insurrection.
“I am drawing up Articles of Impeachment,” Omar wrote. “Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate. We can’t allow him to remain in office, it’s a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath.”
I am drawing up Articles of Impeachment.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 6, 2021
Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate.
We can’t allow him to remain in office, it’s a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath.
“Donald J. Trump should immediately be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate as soon as Congress reconvenes,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts tweeted. “This is dangerous & unacceptable.”
As of Thursday, Omar is one of nearly 100 Democratic members of Congress also calling to invoke the 25th Amendment to move toward removing Trump from office. The list includes Ohio's Rep. Tim Ryan.
It is too dangerous to have him as president over the next two weeks before an inauguration. He cannot be trusted with the sacred honor the American People gave him.
— Congressman Tim Ryan (@RepTimRyan) January 7, 2021
I hope the 25th Amendment is put into action or an immediate bipartisan impeachment.
Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown also just posted.
President Trump must be removed from office for inciting yesterday's violent insurrection.
— Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) January 7, 2021
I am calling on the cabinet and vice president to immediately invoke the 25th Amendment. pic.twitter.com/tilP7y24jk
But it's not just Dems that are rallying behind prematurely removing Trump from office. Some Republicans agree that Trump should resign or be removed.
“There is no doubt that the President’s delusion, fabrication, self-interest, and ego have led us — step by step — to this very low, and very dangerous, moment in American history,” Vermont's Gov. Phil Scott wrote on Twitter. “The fabric of our democracy and the principles of our republic are under attack by the President. Enough is enough. President Trump should resign or be removed from office by his Cabinet, or by the Congress.”
President-elect Biden addressed the nation amid the chaos and called on Trump, who remained silent after pouring fuel on the flames during a MAGA rally outside of the White House Wednesday morning, to end the siege.
"Our democracy is under unprecedented assault, unlike anything we have seen in modern times," Biden said.
At the rally, Trump told his followers, “We are going to cheer on our brave Senators and Congressmen and women, and we are probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them — because you will never take back our country with weakness.”
He suggested that his supporters “walk down to the Capitol” to contest “this egregious assault on our democracy.”
He later addressed the nation, per Biden's request, but in a dangerous video in which he doubled down on his allegations of a fraudulent election and told the rioters to “go home” and that he loved them and they were “special.”
Following the video, Trump was banned for 12-24 hours from Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. YouTube removed the video, as did other social media platforms. Twitter, which flagged the video before removing it so that it could not be liked or shared, said it was in ”severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy.”
Trump's rally followed an alleged rift with his No. 2, Vice President Mike Pence, who said he would uphold the Constitution by certifying Biden's win Wednesday. Pence was among those evacuated as rioters stormed the Capitol steps.
Under Constitutional law, if impeached, Pence would become the 46th President of the United States, making Biden the 47th on Jan. 20.
“To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today: you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins,” Pence said in remarks when Congress reconvened. “And this is still the people’s house. And as we reconvene in this chamber the world will again witness the resilience and strength of our democracy.”
Early Thursday morning, Congress safely reconvened to confirm Biden's victory, finalizing the electoral count that was underway at the time of the attempted insurrection.
This story was originally published by CityBeat sister paper Detroit Metro Times
