Romney, the only Republican senator to vote to convict Trump on an article of impeachment in February, accused Trump of inciting a mob of supporters to storm the Capitol while Congress was counting the vote of the Electoral College on Wednesday.
Rep. Garrett Graves (R-La.) on Friday called for Trump to step back from the duties of his office, though he said he did not support impeaching the president or invoking the 25th Amendment.
“He effectively needs to resign. And what I mean by that is, effectively, he will not be out there talking, speaking, wielding the full authority and power of the White House, maybe even technically finding a way to hand over the keys to [Vice President] Pence,” he said.
The House leader also told 60 Minutes that there is strong support among the members of Congress to see Trump impeached and rendered unable to run for office again. He can only pardon himself from federal offenses. He cannot pardon himself from state offenses, and that’s where he’s being investigated in the state of New York, Pelosi told CBS s Leslie Stahl. There is a possibility that after all of this, there’s no punishment, no consequence, and he could run again for president, Stahl countered. And that’s one of the motivations people have for advocating for impeachment, the Speaker responded. I like the 25th Amendment because it gets rid of him. He’s out of office. But there’s strong support in the Congress for impeaching the president a second time.
“My fellow Senator Ted Cruz and the co-signers of his statement argue that rejection of electors or an election audit directed by Congress would restore trust in the election. Nonsense. . Members of Congress who would substitute their own partisan judgement for that of the courts do not enhance public trust, they imperil it, Romney added.
The statement from the 11 Republican senators comes after Sen. Josh Hawley
Dozens of House Republicans have said they will object to the election results on Wednesday. The support of at least 12 GOP senators means that they will be able to force debates and votes on their challenges for the third time in history since 1887.
“I do not think that he will prevail in his quest. And I question why he is doing it when the courts have unanimously thrown out the suits that the president’s team have filed for lack of credible evidence,” Collins said. “Senator Hawley is a smart attorney who clerked for the Supreme Court, so he clearly understands that. So I don’t understand.”
Asked if she would vote against objections, Collins said “absolutely,” absent “some very unexpected revelation that I cannot imagine that would occur.”
The issue came up during a Senate GOP caucus call on Thursday, where Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Frustrations flare as $2,000 checks blocked for fourth straight day thehill.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thehill.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.