Charlie Crist: Remove Donald Trump from office by invoking 25th Amendment

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist on Wednesday called for the removal of President Donald Trump from office hours after the president’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a chaotic takeover of the country’s seat of legislative power.

“The 25th Amendment allows for the removal of a President,” Crist, a St. Petersburg Democrat, tweeted. “It’s time to remove the President.”

The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that the Vice President and a majority of Cabinet members can declare a president “unable to discharge the powers and the duties of the office.” Under such a scenario, the vice president, Mike Pence, would be named acting president. It has never been used to remove a president against his will.

U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, another Florida Democrat, also called for Trump’s removal, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Crist sent the tweet moments after Trump released a video late Wednesday addressing the insurgents inside the U.S. Capitol and those who had overtaken the building’s exterior. In his remarks, Trump continued to fan the flames of the insurrection by falsely insisting the election was stolen and that he won by a “landside,” though he asked his supporters to “go home” peacefully.

Trump’s final words to the crowd — which had vandalized the halls of Congress, attacked police officers and forced the evacuation of his Vice President Mike Pence — were: “We love you. You’re very special.”

The violence on Capitol Hill came as Congress met to certify the results of the election. Trump’s Republican allies in both chambers had orchestrated an attempt to block Joe Biden’s victory as the president, his children and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani encouraged a crowd nearby on the National Mall.

Crist previously served as the 44th governor of Florida as a Republican and was once friendly with Trump. The former real estate tycoon and reality TV show host held a fundraiser for Crist in his Manhattan Trump Tower. Trump once called Crist “a special guy.”