WASHINGTON (AP) – The latest news on the fallout from the storming of the Capitol by a crowd of pro-Trump loyalists (always local):
10:20 am
Democratic Representative Adam Schiff says President Donald Trump is a “threat to the Republic” and should be immediately removed from office by impeachment, resignation or invoking the 25th Amendment.
Schiff said on Friday that during Trump’s impeachment, Democrats warned that he would “try to cheat” to stay in office.
Now he said Trump “lit the fuse that exploded in the Capitol on Wednesday” when a crowd loyal to the president stormed the Capitol. Five people died in the chaos, including a Capitol police officer.
“Any day that he remains in office, he poses a threat to the Republic, and he must immediately leave office, by resignation, the 25th amendment or impeachment,” Schiff said in a statement.
Schiff called Trump “the worst president we’ve ever had.”
Schiff was the chief manager of the House Democrats’ impeachment of the president in 2019. Trump was later acquitted by the Senate on charges of abuse of power and congressional obstruction over his dealings with Ukraine.
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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW A DAY AFTER PRO-TRUMP FORCES BREACH THE CAPITOL:
The frenzy that has shaken the world and put the country on edge has forced the resignation of three top security officials from the Capitol for failing to stop the breach. It has also led lawmakers to demand a review of operations and an FBI briefing on what they called a “terrorist attack.” And it evokes a broader consideration of President Donald Trump’s tenure and what comes next for a torn country.
Read more:
Capitol Police declined offers of federal assistance to oppress the crowd
– Inside account: The day my ‘second home’, the Capitol, was overtaken by the crowd
– Mob at US Capitol encouraged by online conspiracy theories
– STATEMENT: Breaking the uncertainty after the siege of the Capitol
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HERE’S WHAT’S DIFFERENT:
10 hours
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says those responsible for the death of police officer Brian Sicknick following the siege of the Capitol by a mob loyal to President Donald Trump should be “brought to justice.”
Pelosi said on Friday that she was lowering flags in the Capitol in his honor.
Sicknick died “after defending the Capitol and protecting those who serve and work here. The perpetrators of Officer Sicknick’s death should be brought to justice, ”she said.
Pro-Trump supporters were urged by the president to the Capitol on Wednesday, where Congress summed up the votes of the Electoral College to confirm the election of Democrat Joe Biden.
Five people are now dead from the violent melee.
“The violent and deadly act of insurrection against the Capitol, our temple of American democracy, and its workers was a profound tragedy and blot on the history of our nation,” said Pelosi.
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9:10 am
House Democratic leaders say the House could include articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump next week if Vice President Mike Pence and Trump’s cabinet fail to act to remove him.
Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark of Massachusetts says House could “use procedural tools to get articles of impeachment measures to the House floor quickly,” as early as the next week, if Pence does not invoke the 25th amendment to the constitution to address Trump from office.
Rep. James Clyburn, the No. 3 House Democrat, says he can confirm that “we’ve had discussions about it.” The South Carolina Democrat says he hopes Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Would “move forward if the vice president refuses to do what he has to do under the Constitution. Everyone knows this president is insane. “
The 25th Amendment allows the vice president and a majority of the cabinet to declare a president unfit. That part of the change has never been invoked.
On Thursday, Pelosi said the House could go over impeachment if Pence and the cabinet don’t remove Trump before his term ends on Jan. 20.
Pence has not publicly spoken about the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment. But that possibility may have faded after two cabinet members resigned in protest on Thursday after Trump urged protesters who then attacked the Capitol the day before.
Clark and Clyburn spoke on CNN on Friday.
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8:40 am
A police officer has died of injuries sustained when President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol.
And his death heightens questions about the defeated president’s remaining days and the US Capitol Police’s ability to secure the area.
Capitol Police said in a statement that Officer Brian D. Sicknick died on Thursday.
Sicknick was punched in the head with a fire extinguisher during Wednesday’s melee, according to two law enforcement officials.
Those officials were unable to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The officer is the fifth person to be killed in the attack on the Capitol.
Discussions are underway about Trump’s suitability to remain in office