Peoria Standard

U.S. House Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Illinois) said he is against removing President Donald Trump through the 25th Amendment in the wake of the Capitol’s invasion by a mob of Trump supporters on Jan. 6. 

The Republican representative said it would be counterproductive.

“I’m not supportive of going with the 25th Amendment or impeachment,” LaHood said, the Journal Star reported, in an article posted to the Resister-Mail. “The president has 13 days left in office, and we’ll have to watch and monitor over the next 13 days. The president doesn’t like losing, and his rhetoric keeps getting ramped up. But we all have to be careful about the rhetoric used in politics.”

Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Illinois) | Courtesy Photo

Trump supporters on Jan. 6 invaded the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C., ransacking, defacing and vandalizing the congressional hall in a riot that left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer.

The 25th Amendment could remove a sitting president by the Cabinet and vice president if it determined the commander-in-chief cannot fulfill his duties. The action has never been taken in the 233 years of the U.S. Constitution.

The other alternative is impeachment by Congress. Trump was impeached the first time last year, joining Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. However, no U.S. president to date has been convicted and removed from power under the process.

Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) said on Jan. 7 that Congress would start impeachment proceedings against Trump if Vice President Mike Pence did not invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump. This would be the second impeachment against Trump, a first in American history for a sitting president.

Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) likewise called on Pence to act though it appeared unlikely he would by Jan. 11.

For Trump to be removed, both the House and Senate would need to confirm the impeachment process.

For Trump to be impeached, a two-thirds vote would need to be achieved in the Senate. Observers say this is unlikely given what little time remains of Trump’s term in office.