Mike Pence dismisses calls to remove Trump, pledges to work until term ends

In the aftermath of the US Capitol siege, Vice President Mike Pence has signalled that he'll dismiss the demands to immediately oust President Donald Trump. According to Bloomberg, a senior Trump administration official said that Pence and Trump met on January 11 in the Oval Office and agreed to work together for the remainder of the term. The meeting marked the first time the two leaders spoke since the President’s supporters violently stormed that federal building, during which Pence was forced to flee the Senate chamber and retreat to a secure location. 

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Trump and Pence had a “good conversation”, discussing the week ahead and reflecting on the administration's accomplishments over the last four years. The discussion also added to indications that Trump has no plans to resign before President-elect Joe Biden’s January 20 inauguration. Further, Pence and Trump have also agreed that the people who broke into the Capitol building don’t represent the President’s “America First” movement. They even pledged to continue their work on behalf of the country for the remainder of their term. 

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Impeachment articles moved 

Meanwhile, the House Democrats are seeking to hold the outgoing President accountable for the riots if Pence fails to act against Trump. The Vice President was initially furious at Trump after January 6 riots and the incident had also raised the prospect that he might act to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, which allows the Vice President to remove the president from the office. However, Pence dismissed the idea as not feasible, according to reports. 

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Cracking down on Trump, the Democrat-controlled US Congress introduced formal articles of impeachment against the incumbent President. Charging Trump with "incitement of insurrection", for the US Capitol riots, the House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer sought to vote on the articles by Wednesday. Hoyer had also moved a bill seeking Trump's ouster through the 25th Amendment, however, it was blocked by the House Republicans. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has sought Pence's response within 24 hours, once the bill is re-introduced on the floor.

Pelosi said that the House will proceed with legislation to impeach President Donald Trump as she pushes the vice president and the Cabinet to invoke constitutional authority to force him out, warning that Trump is a threat to democracy after the deadly assault on the Capitol. During an interview on "60 Minutes" aired Sunday, Pelosi invoked the Watergate era when Republicans in the Senate told President Richard Nixon, "It’s over". "That’s what has to happen now,” she said. Trump has already been impeached by the House in December 2019 for 'abuse of power and obstruction of Congress' but was acquitted by Senate - controlled by the Republicans in February 2020.

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