ATTACK ON CAPITOL: Lawmakers mount pressure for Trump’s removal

…Facebook, Instagram block Trump’s accounts indefinitely

…More top advisers resign

…Over 65 attackers arrested

A growing number of lawmakers  — including from Democratic leadership — are calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office either through impeachment or  the 25th Amendment  to the Constitution after a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer  put out a statement  Thursday denouncing the “insurrection” at the Capitol “incited by the President,” and saying, “This President should not hold office one day longer.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the call later Thursday at a news conference.

The calls have come largely from Democrats so far, but at least one congressional Republican has joined in. GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a frequent critic of the President, has called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, saying in  a video message  on Thursday, “the President must now relinquish control of the executive branch voluntarily or involuntarily.”

Invoking the 25th Amendment would require Vice President Mike Pence and a majority of the Cabinet to vote to remove Trump from office due to his inability to “discharge the powers and duties of his office” — an unprecedented step.

Bottom of form

Any 25th Amendment push faces an unprecedented steep hill to come to fruition with little time left before Biden’s inauguration. The calls in Congress, however, underscore the extent to which lawmakers are reeling and furious with the President in the wake of the devastation at the Capitol on Wednesday.

Sen. Patty Murray, the No. 3 in Senate Democratic leadership, has also said it’s time to invoke the 25th Amendment.

“The most immediate way to ensure the President is prevented from causing further harm in coming days is to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove him from office. As history watches, I urge Vice President Pence and the President’s cabinet to put country before party and act,” she said in a statement.

House Oversight Committee chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, on Thursday backed removing Trump from office either through the 25th Amendment or impeachment.

“Invoking the 25th Amendment is the quickest way to do this, and expedience must be our goal,” she said, adding, “If the Vice President and Cabinet fail to act, we have a duty to pursue impeachment.”

Other prominent Democrats have urged impeachment in the wake of the mob violence at the Capitol that took place as a joint session of Congress met to count the electoral votes affirming President-elect Joe Biden’s win amid false claims from Trump that the election was rigged against him.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic caucus chairman, tweeted on Thursday, “Donald Trump should be impeached, convicted and removed from office immediately.”

Three members of the House Judiciary committee — Reps. Jamie Raskin, David Cicilline and Ted Lieu — are circulating to colleagues an impeachment resolution calling Trump’s actions an abuse of power. They wrote that Trump violated the Constitution by “willfully inciting violence against the Government of the United States.”

Facebook, Instagram block Trump’s accounts ‘indefinitely’

Facebook Inc has taken the unprecedented step of blocking Trump’s social media accounts on its platforms for the remaining 13 days of his presidency and possibly beyond, the company’s CEO announced Thursday.

READ ALSO: US Democrats control of Senate in reach, as party wins first Georgia runoff

Facebook, which owns photo-sharing app Instagram, will also block his account there, CEO Mark Zuckerberg  wrote in a post  the day after Trump supporters breached the US Capitol building in a violent, unruly mob, forcing lawmakers to flee and the complex to be placed under lockdown for several hours.

“We believe the risks of allowing President Trump to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great, so we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks,” Zuckerberg wrote in his post that  explained  the decision Thursday.

4 dead, 68 protesters arrested

At least  four people died  in the post-election riots at the Capitol Wednesday. So far, over 68 people have been arrested in connection with the events at the Capitol, according to Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee.

The FBI has also asked people to submit photos, videos and tips identifying those who were inciting violence that day.

Lawmakers returned to continue their work after the building was deemed safe at 8pm (01:00 GMT) Wednesday, formally certifying Biden’s victory  in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Massive resignation projected

Meanwhile, top national security aides and other staffers have resigned from President Donald Trump’s administration in protest over the storming of Capitol Hill by his supporters, and officials said yesterday more departures are expected soon. Deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, a leading figure in the development of Trump’s China policy, resigned abruptly on Wednesday in response to the incident, a senior administration official told Reuters.

That was followed by Ryan Tully, the senior director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council, another senior official said on condition of anonymity. Trump’s pledge on Thursday about an “orderly transition” to President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20 was partly intended to head off further resignations, but the second official told Reuters: “It’s not going to stop it.”

With under two weeks left of Trump’s presidency, many aides were already heading for the door but the sudden departures underscored the revulsion among some Trump staffers over what was widely seen as his encouragement of mobs of supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent formal certification of Biden’s Nov. 3 election victory.

Among those who were spurred to quit on Thursday was Mick Mulvaney, a former White House chief of staff who resigned his post as a special envoy to Northern Ireland.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of my friends resign over the course of the next 24 to 48 hours,” he said on CNBC.

Further departures are especially likely at the NSC, one of the officials said. It coordinates U.S. foreign policy among federal agencies and maintains close contacts with foreign governments, so the loss of key staffers could raise questions about national security amid a presidential transition.

Stocks, Treasury yields climb after Democrats win control of Senate

Bond prices dropped and stocks hit record highs yesterday as investors bet his party’s control of the U.S. Congress would enable President-elect Joe Biden to borrow and spend heavily, while higher yields helped a bruised dollar recover from near three-year lows.

U.S. Treasuries prices extended their steepest selloff in months, with the benchmark yield at its highest in 10 months, after victories in two Georgia races handed the Democratic Party narrow control of the U.S. Senate, bolstering Biden’s power to pass his agenda as his party controls both chambers.

The MSCI world equity index, which tracks shares in almost 50 countries, rose over 1% to hit a record high for the third session this week.

The shocking images of the assault had earlier knocked sentiment, though traders focused on the implications of the Democrats’ control of Congress.

On Wall Street, major indexes hit record highs on bets that more pandemic stimulus under a Democrat-controlled U.S. government will help the economy ride out the downturn.

Vanguard News Nigeria

 

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