Mike Pence has ruled out leading the Cabinet to oust Donald Trump
Credit: REUTERS
Vice-President Mike Pence said on Tuesday that he opposes invoking the 25th Amendment, thwarting attempts by Democrats to oust Donald Trump.
Mr Pence told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he will not support the move, accusing her of playing "political games" and saying it would set a "terrible precedent".
"I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution," Mr Pence said the letter, which was released by his office as the House prepared to vote on a non-binding resolution calling on him to invoke the amendment.
It comes as at least three Republicans, including a member of the House leadership, on Tuesday said they would vote to impeach Mr Trump for urging supporters to march on the Capitol and "fight" shortly before the attack that led to the deaths of five people.
Mr Pence told Ms Pelosi that the administration’s energy was focused on ensuring an orderly transition, and appealed to her and other members of Congress to avoid actions that "would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment".
Mike Pence told Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats to "lower the temperature"
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"Work with us to lower the temperature and unite our country as we prepare to inaugurate President-elect Joe Biden as the next President of the United States," Mr Pence said.
Mr Pence and Mr Trump had their first conversation at the White House on Monday evening after days of silence following the riot and Mr Trump’s public rebuke of Mr Pence for not seeking to block the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s Electoral College win.
Mr Trump, who has sought unsuccessfully to overturn his election defeat with spurious accusations of voter fraud, had pressured Mr Pence to intervene in the certification process, and some of Mr Trump’s supporters in the assault discussed assassinating Mr Pence for being a traitor.
The Vice-President referenced the strains in his letter to Ms Pelosi.
"Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert power beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation," he wrote.
Invoking the 25th Amendment as a means of "punishment or usurpation" would "set a terrible precedent," Mr Pence said.
Removal of a president under the 25th Amendment requires a declaration by the Vice-President and the majority of the president’s Cabinet. Without such a declaration, Congress cannot invoke the amendment so the move fails.
Democrats are not set to vote on impeaching Mr Trump, making him the first president of the United States to be impeached twice, which could be passed in the House as soon as Wednesday.
Read more: What a vote for impeachment could mean for Donald Trump
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