As impeachment axe dangles on Trump, Pence rules out 25th Amendment

United States Vice-President Mike Pence has ruled out using the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office following the US Capitol riot.

But Democrats are moving relentlessly towards making him the first president to be impeached twice after he incited a mob assault on Congress.

With the House of Representatives on the cusp of impeaching President Trump, Pence encouraged Congress to avoid actions to “further divide and inflame the passions of the moment”.

Trump earlier refused to take any responsibility for the US Capitol riot, in which  his supporters smashed into the building, and said his speech for the mob was “totally appropriate”.

In a letter to House speaker Nancy Pelosi, Mr Pence said the mechanism should not be used “as a means of punishment or usurpation” and reserved for cases of medical or mental incapacitation.

The focus instead should be on smoothing the transition to President-elect Joe Biden’s administration, he said.

Ms Pelosi has called on Mr Pence to secure the majority of the Cabinet and vote to declare Mr Trump unfit to serve.

This came less than a week after the president fomented the violent insurrection at the Capitol.

Ms Pelosi has said if Mr Pence rejects use of the 25th Amendment, the House will move to impeach him.

Already, at least three Republicans have said they would vote for that.

The president’s comments appeared to encourage the protesters to march on the Capitol building, and he praised them while they were still carrying out the assault.

“People thought that what I said was totally appropriate,” Mr Trump said during his first appearance in public since the Capitol siege last week.

Trump brushed off Democratic calls on his Cabinet to declare him unfit from office and remove him from power using the 25th Amendment.

“The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration,” President Trump said, adding, “As the expression goes, be careful of what you wish for.”

His remarks came during a visit to the site of the 450th mile of the border wall his administration is building.

The rampage through the halls of Congress sent lawmakers of both parties and President Trump’s own vice president into hiding, as crowds called for Mike Pence’s lynching for his role overseeing the vote count.

The scene also undermined the hallmark of the republic — the peaceful transition of power. At least five people died, including one Capitol Police officer.

Speaking on Tuesday, President Trump said the “real problem” was not his rhetoric, but the rhetoric that Democrats used to describe Black Lives Matter protests and violence in Seattle and Portland this summer, “Everybody to the ‘T’ thought it was totally appropriate,” President Trump said of his own comments.

He angrily lashed out at lawmakers’ push for his second impeachment this week, claiming: “It’s causing tremendous anger and division and pain far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time.”