Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that the House intends to proceed with the impeachment of President Trump, unless the vice president and cabinet remove him from office via the 25th Amendment.
If Congress moves forward on impeachment this week, Trump will become the first president in history to be impeached twice.
In a letter to Democrats Sunday evening Pelosi wrote, “In protecting our Constitution and our Democracy, we will act with urgency, because this President represents an imminent threat to both. The horror of the ongoing assault on our democracy perpetrated by this President is intensified and so is the immediate need for action.”
Pence has previously said he would not invoke the 25th amendment, however a report over the weekend suggested that he may not have entirely ruled it out.
The House aims to pass its measure on Monday pushing Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment. “We are calling on the Vice President to respond within 24 hours,” Pelosi wrote. “Next, we will proceed with bringing impeachment legislation to the Floor.”
Unclear When Impeachment Trial Would Begin
If the House impeaches the President, it is not clear when the Senate would take up the impeachment. McConnell has indicated that it would not be until after President Elect Joe Biden is sworn into office on January 20.
An impeachment trial for Trump in the Senate while Biden is still in office, however, could be politically challenging for Biden and the nation. A President’s first 100 days are critical. If all the media attention is devoted to an impeachment trial of Trump, the increase for addition partisan division could be a serious risk — at a time when a newly elected President Biden will be trying to push for American unity.
