PresWASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC) – Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are rebuking President Trump for encouraging the mob violence at the Capitol.
Now, there is talk about using the 25th Amendment to remove him from office, fueled in part by fears his final days in office could lead to even more unrest.
Some members of his staff are not waiting until the end of his term and resigning their posts in the wake of violence by his supporters.
Nearly 100 lawmakers were in Congress Thursday morning, calling for President Trump’s removal from office.
Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH) said, “That’s where we are right now. He’s incited this. This was a coup. You cannot sugarcoat this. You cannot be nice about it.”
The incoming Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is squarely blaming Trump for the uprising. He said,
“This mob was in, good part, President Trump’s doing, incited by his words, his lies. This violence is in good part his responsibility, his ever-lasting shame.”
One top State Department official, Gabriel Noronha, tweeted, “These actions threaten our democracy and our republic. Trump is entirely unfit to remain in office, and needs to go.”
Multiple sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News there have been informal discussions about invoking the 25th Amendment by some staff-level officials within the administration.
The 25th Amendment says if a president becomes unable to do the job, he can be forcibly removed and the vice president takes over.
In order to do that, the vice president would need to agree as well as a majority of the president’s cabinet members.
It’s is not clear that these discussions have reached the cabinet-level and two sources say the idea has not been discussed directly with Vice President Pence.
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton warned against invoking the 25th Amendment on CNN, saying it could make matters worse. “We ought to bear in mind the adage: do no harm,” he said. “Because you can make this worse if we’re not careful.”
Meanwhile, multiple Trump officials resigned overnight, including one of the president’s longest-serving aides, Stephanie Grisham. She served as White House press secretary and was most recently the first lady’s chief of staff.
Also calling it quits is the White House social secretary and the deputy press secretary.
Multiple sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News there could be more resignations coming including National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who one source says is “considering her options.”
A spokesperson for the National Security Council did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did the Department of Transportation.
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