Slotkin Joins Fellow Michigan Democrats In Calling For Trump's Removal
January 8, 2021
By Jon King / jking@whmi.com
8th District Democrat Elissa Slotkin has joined with the rest of Michigan’s Democratic Congressional caucus and announced her support for utilizing the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office.
In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, Slotkin said that after the events of Wednesday, when an angry mob stormed the Capitol building after Trump had addressed them with continued false statements about mass election fraud, she felt it was time for the Vice President and the President’s Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove the President from office.
After yesterday’s events, when the President incited a violent attack on another branch of government, it’s time for the...
Posted by Rep. Elissa Slotkin on Thursday, January 7, 2021
The insurrection, in which one woman was shot and killed by police, while a Capitol Police officer was assaulted and later died of his injuries, has led to across the board condemnation of the President and the resignations of several top aides and cabinet members, including Education Secretary Betsy DeVos of Michigan. In addition, other Republicans have stated their anger at the actions Wednesday. Newly elected Republican Congressman Peter Meijer of Grand Rapids, said in an interview that those who are responsible "should be held accountable." Republican U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, a former Michigander, called the Capitol attack was "an insurrection" and said that those who support it will "be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy."
Slotkin said she had heard from a number of senior Trump Administration officials that the President “is increasingly unhinged, and they are concerned about the actions he could take in the next few weeks.” She said while he has less than two weeks left in power, “we must as a country demonstrate that this kind of behavior is beyond the pale.” Slotkin said she would prefer cabinet officials to take action, but that she would be ready to consider other steps, such as impeachment, in the short time left.
The 25th Amendment, established in 1967 after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, provides a process to replace a president or vice president in the event of death, incapacitation, resignation or removal from office. It states that if the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet, or "other body" Congress might designate, were to declare a president "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office" that person would be removed from office. However, if the president disputes that determination, two-thirds of the House and the Senate must agree to put the vice president in charge.
Slotkin added that responsibility for Wednesday’s attack went beyond just the President and that Congress needs a “rigorous process of censure for any Members of Congress who similarly incited violence, either in their many speeches to the protestors, or through the media.” She also recommended the same for any members of the Michigan legislature who attended the rally and incited violence, possibly referring to State Representative Matt Maddock of Milford, who was at the rally which preceded the assault on the Capitol building, along with his wife, Meshawn Maddock, who is set to become the co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party.
“If you egged on those who sought to overturn the will of the people, you have no business serving the people — even if later you put out platitudes that you regret what happened. That’s what we call accountability.”