Houston Democrats join calls to punish Pres. Trump for Capitol riot
HOUSTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Democrats will move to impeach the President if he does not resign following the deadly protests on Capitol Hill.
Several Houston lawmakers are part of the push.
"He must be impeached. He must be indicted, and it must be noted in the impeachment that he is not fit to serve in any other office ever again," says Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee from her Capitol Hill office.
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Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee introduces Articles of Impeachment against President Trump
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee has introduced Articles of Impeachment against President Donald Trump.
She has already introduced articles of impeachment, against President Trump, alleging abuse of power; failure to protect elected officials; and instigating the deadly demonstration.
Jackson Lee's measure is one of many that have been offered. From Houston's congressional delegation, every Democrat is supporting the president's removal.
"Why can't we be willing to say to them that we too will stand for liberty and justice for all," says Houston Congressman Al Green.
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Rep. Al Green co-leading effort to impeach President Trump
US Rep. Al Green is co-leading the effort to remove President Donald Trump from office through a lightning-quick impeachment process.
"There is a commitment to do our duties, but there is also a somber reflection that we have to hold this president accountable," adds Rep. Jackson Lee, "In my lifetime, in the stories of my grandmother, in the stories of my mother. I've never heard of actions, like this, by a president of the United States.
University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus thinks there is a big challenge in punishing the President in the time remaining in his administration.
"There are a lot of ambiguous parts to how the 25th amendment might function that make it challenging to use to remove a president from power," says Rottinghaus.
The 25th Amendment has never been used to, effectively, punish a president.
Meantime, the timeline for impeachment, typically, takes weeks or months.
Still, Rottinghaus believes Congress will act. "They see this as an attack, not just on the American people or the American capitol, but on the legislative branch," he says. "As a result, that's something that they would very much like to have a precedent to say 'No', and stop presidents from doing something like this in the future."
Reports from Washington suggest Democrat leadership is exploring a streamlined impeachment process that put the measure for a House vote within a week.