Kinzinger calls for Trump removal

WASHINGTON DC (Ax-ios): Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on Thursday called on members of the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment, which would remove President Trump from office for not being able to perform his duties and replace him with Vice President Pence until the end of the term.

Why it matters: Kinzinger — a frequent critic of the president — is the first Republican member of Congress to call for the move, which has long been dismissed as a liberal fantasy as it would require the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet.

What he’s saying: “Sadly, yesterday, it became evident that not only has the president abdicated his duty to the American people and the People’s House. He invoked and inflamed passions that only gave fuel to the insurrection that we saw here,” Kinzinger said.

“When pressed to move and denounce the violence, he barely did so while, of course, victimizing himself and seeming to give a wink and a nod to those doing it. All indications are that the president has become unmoored not just from his duty or even his oath, but from reality itself,” he continued.

“It is for this reason that I call for the vice president and members of the Cabinet to ensure the next few weeks are safe for the American people and that we have a sane captain of the ship.”

“It’s time to invoke the 25th Amendment and to end this nightmare … The president caused this, the president is unfit and the president is unwell, and the president must now relinquish control of the executive branch voluntarily or involuntarily.”