A day after a violent mob stormed the US Capitol demanding a second term for President Trump, the situation continues to remain grim. Four people were killed in the clash - which many hold President Donald Trump responsible for instigating. Now, lawmakers from both sides of the political divide are calling for the President's immediate removal from office, even as other officials hand in their resignations.
Facing criticism for how he had handled the protesters, US Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund announced that he would be resigning this month. Many others have already handed in their resignations, reacting sharply to the protests. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Transport Secretary Elaine Chao are the latest to join this list. According to a PTI report, DeVos, whose resignation comes into effect on Friday, said the insurrection on Capitol Hill was an "inflection point" for her. Chao, whose resignation will come into effect on Monday, had told staffers in an email that she was deeply troubled by the "traumatic and entirely avoidable event". Tyler Goodspeed, the acting chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors; and John Costello, deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and security at the Commerce Department have also submitted their resignations.
A day earlier, even as the protesters were driven back and Congress eventually resigned, several other key members of the Trump administration had called it quits. White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews resigned soon after the altercation, while first Lady Melania Trump's Chief of Staff, Stephanie Grisham, submitted her resignation effective immediately after the protests broke out. Another long serving Trump administration official, White House social secretary Anna Cristina "Rickie" Niceta, also reportedly resigned on Wednesday.
As the Trump administration enters it's final weeks, the President does not seem to be faring well. He rather grudgingly acquiesced to an "orderly" transfer of power to Joe Biden after the Capitol attack - even as former US Presidents, US lawmakers from both parties and world leaders held him responsible for the clashes. Now, voices calling for his immediate removal from office have grown stronger.
Representatives including those from his own party are reportedly seeking his immediate dismissal - a move that could make Trump ineligible to hold office in the years to come. Calls for the removal of President Donald Trump using the 25th Amendment have intensified in the country - with Republicans including Representative Adam Kinzinger and Maryland Republican Governor Larry Hogan lending support to the idea. The rarely invoked 1967 amendment to the Constitution is the primary means for ensuring the government remains in operation if a sitting president is deemed unable to perform their duties while in office, reported The Hill.
In the meantime, seemingly taking a harder stance on the protests, Trump's only tweet since his account was 'unlocked' on Friday is a stern warning to the protesters that they would 'pay' for their acts of violence and vandalism. He remains locked out of his Facebook and Instagram handles.
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