The head of the National Association of Manufacturers has called on Vice President Mike Pence to consider removing Donald Trump from office for inciting the rioting seen inside the Capitol today.
Jay Timmons, the NAM’s president and CEO, blasted the “armed violent protestors who support the baseless claim by outgoing president Trump that he somehow won an election that he overwhelmingly lost.”
Timmons is a former high-level Republican congressional aide who led the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2004.
“Throughout this whole disgusting episode, Trump has been cheered on by members of his own party, adding fuel to the distrust that has enflamed violent anger. This is not law and order. This is chaos. It is mob rule. It is dangerous. This is sedition and should be treated as such,” Timmons said in a statement released by the association.
“The outgoing president incited violence in an attempt to retain power, and any elected leader defending him is violating their oath to the Constitution and rejecting democracy in favor of anarchy. Anyone indulging conspiracy theories to raise campaign dollars is complicit. Vice President Pence, who was evacuated from the Capitol, should seriously consider working with the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to preserve democracy.”
Under the 25th amendment, the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet can declare that the president is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his officers,” which would trigger the vice president replacing him. This scenario is unlikely.
The association represents all the manufacturing sector’s interests in DC, billing itself as the largest manufacturing association.
Some of the group’s leadership also has close ties to the GOP, having previously worked for Republican members and/or causes.
Democratic Reps. Ted Lieu of California and David Cicilline of Rhode Island are also drafting a letter to Vice President Mike Pence urging him to initiate 25th Amendment proceedings.
Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., also tweeted that he supported such an effort.
The 25th Amendment allows for the removal of a President. It’s time to remove the President.
— Charlie Crist (@CharlieCrist) January 6, 2021
The 25th Amendment states:
“Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.”
Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for abuse of power at the beginning of last year, though he was acquitted by GOP-controlled Senate.