Updated: Kentucky congressman joins 100-plus representatives calling to remove Trump
Rep. John Yarmuth, Kentucky’s only Democrat in Congress, was the first representative from the state Thursday to call for President Donald Trump’s removal from office after the Capitol attack.
Yarmuth, of Kentucky’s 3rd District in Louisville, argued on social media for Trump’s removal Thursday afternoon. He’s one of a growing number of primarily Democratic representatives and senators who have called for Trump to be removed via impeachment or invoking the 25th Amendment.
More than 100 members of Congress had called for Trump’s removal as of Thursday night, according to MSNBC’s Kyle Griffin.
“One more day in office is too many and a risk we should all now agree is not worth taking,” Yarmuth said. “With a pandemic taking thousands of lives each day and oppressive racism festering in our communities, I am committed to doing anything and everything legally possible to remove this threat to our nation from the presidency, whether by impeachment or the 25th amendment.”
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted Wednesday evening that she was drawing up articles of impeachment. There were dozens of representatives signed onto the bill as co-leader or co-sponsors as of Thursday evening, including Yarmuth.
Nineteen members of Congress also drafted a letter to Vice President Mike Pence, which called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, according to California Rep. Ted Lieu. Pence, along with Trump’s cabinet members, would have to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office immediately.
The representatives blamed Trump’s rhetoric as the reason for his supporters storming the Capitol Wednesday, a chaotic and violent act that left four people dead, according to D.C. officials.
“The world watched aghast as insurrectionists, who had been egged on by the president, threatened the safety of elected officials and staff and destroyed public property as they stormed and occupied both the House and Senate chambers, bringing our democracy to a halt,” the representatives wrote.
The representatives also wrote that Trump was unfit because he is “not mentally sound and is still unable to process and accept the results of the 2020 election.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also publicly called for Trump’s removal from office.
“If the vice president and cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment,” Pelosi said.
As of Thursday afternoon, only one Republican had called for Trump’s removal from office after Wednesday’s charge on the Capitol. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, said Thursday morning 25th Amendment should be invoked.
“All indications are that the president has become unmoored,” Kinzinger said in a video posted to Twitter. “Not just from his duty or even his oath, but from reality itself. It is for this reason that I call for the vice president and members of the cabinet to assure that the next few weeks are safe for the American people and that we have a sane captain of the ship.”
Other members of the Kentucky delegation condemned the mob that breached the capitol Wednesday, but only Yarmuth has gone as far as blaming Trump and calling for his removal.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released a new statement Thursday afternoon saying “the ultimate blame for yesterday lies with the unhinged criminals.”
Yarmuth said he takes “no joy” in making the recommendation to remove Trump from office, but the move comes “with no thought for partisanship.”
“While it is true that Trump has just 13 days remaining in office, it took only one for him — with his supporters in Congress and in the streets — to turn a centuries-old ceremonial act into a violent, if pathetic, coup attempt that threatened American democracy, humiliated our nation on the world stage, and left four people dead,” Yarmuth said.
This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 3:29 PM.