Extract from ABC News
US President Donald Trump said he will not be attending President-elect Joe Biden's Inauguration on January 20, undercutting his message a day earlier that he would work to ensure a "smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power" to his successor.
Key points:
- Donald Trump will become the first US President since Andrew Johnson in 1869 to not attend his successor's inauguration
- He did not elaborate or offer any clues on how he would spend his final hours in office
- Traditionally, the incoming and outgoing presidents ride to the US Capitol together for the ceremony
He will be the first sitting president since Andrew Johnson in 1869, who was the first US president to be impeached by the House, to skip his successor's inauguration.
"To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th," Mr Trump tweeted, having just days ago been banned from the social media platform for 12 hours.
Traditionally, the incoming and outgoing presidents ride to the US Capitol together for the ceremony, as a symbol of the nation's peaceful transition.
In 1869 Mr Johnson decided to skip incoming President Ulysses S. Grant's inauguration at the last minute, as both men refused to ride in the same carriage.
Vice-President Mike Pence was expected to attend the inauguration.
Pence spokesman Devin Malley said: "Vice-President Pence and the Second Lady have yet to make a decision regarding their attendance.
Mr Biden’s transition team had no immediate comment on Mr Trump's announcement, but Jen Psaki, the President-elect's incoming White House press secretary, said last month that whether Mr Trump attended the inauguration was not top of mind for Mr Biden.
Mr Trump offered no clues for how he would spent his final hours in office but his decision comes just two days after a violent mob of his supporters occupied the Capitol for several hours as Congressional member were tallying the electoral votes that certified Mr Biden's victory.
That incident led to him being banned from Facebook and Instagram for the remainder of his presidency due to the belief from CEO Mark Zuckerberg that Mr Trump was trying to undermine a democratically elected Government.
Calls for a quick impeachment
Calls were soon made to remove Mr Trump from power with Democrat Chuck Schumer leading the way.
Now, Democrats are believed to be discussing whether to move forward with the quick impeachment of Mr Trump if his Cabinet doesn't try to remove him first.
House Democrats are set to hold a caucus meeting today, the first since the harrowing events at the Capitol, and could take up articles of impeachment against Mr Trump as soon as next week.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi discussed the prospect of impeachment with her leadership team Thursday night (local time), hours after announcing the House was willing to act if Vice-President Mike Pence and other officials did not invoke Section 4 of the 25th Amendment — the forceful removal of Mr Trump from power by his own Cabinet.
The 25th Amendment of the constitution allows an orderly transfer of power if the President can't execute his duties and was intended to apply when the President is incapacitated by a physical or mental illness.
Section 4, which has gotten the most attention during Mr Trump's presidency, addresses situations where the President is unable to do the job but does not step down voluntarily.
To invoke the 25th Amendment, Mr Pence, who has in recent days seen his relationship with Mr Trump tested, would have to be on board.
Ms Pelosi said she had tried to reach Mr Pence to discuss the issue but could not contact him.
Three House Democrats are also planning to introduce articles of impeachment against Mr Trump on Monday (local time), meaning the chamber could potentially vote on his removal from office by the middle of next week, according two people familiar with the planning.
However, neither option to remove Mr Trump seemed likely, with little time left in his term to draft the Cabinet members needed to invoke the amendment or to organise the hearings and trial mandated for an impeachment.
In 2019, Mr Trump was impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, becoming the third US President in history to be impeached by the House of Representatives.
He was acquitted of the charges laid against him in the Republican-majority Senate last year.
AP
No comments:
Post a Comment