Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) has joined the list of Democratic lawmakers calling on the Cabinet and Vice President Mike Pence to attempt to remove President Donald Trump from office after Wednesday’s storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Brown blamed the president for the vandalism undertaken by pro-Trump extremists, which he termed “domestic terrorism.”
“Domestic terrorists attacked our seat of government, at the behest of the President of the United States,” Brown said in a statement released by his office. “This was his last, desperate attempt to overturn the will of the American voters, but he failed, and democracy won. We must hold the president accountable for inciting this attack on our country.”
Brown’s news release follows similar calls from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) for Trump’s removal. The Democrats cite a provision in the 25th Amendment laying out a process by which the Cabinet and vice president could declare the president unable to discharge his duties.
The president rallied supporters earlier in the day Wednesday, urging them to walk to the Capitol building to protest Congress’ vote affirming President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
Later, thousands of Trump supporters overcame U.S. Capitol Police and barged into the building, vandalizing offices and storming the Senate floor. Authorities say four people died in the chaos, including one person who was fatally shot.
Early Thursday morning, Trump released a statement pledging an “orderly transition” on Jan 20.
Ryan, who chairs the committee that oversees Capitol Police funding, criticized the department for its failure to hold people back. On Thursday, Ryan and House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) pledged to investigate how police handled the insurrection.
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