Democracy Has Prevailed.

January 11, 2021

The Letter Speaker Pelosi Sent To House Members

From Politico:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued Vice President Mike Pence an ultimatum on Sunday night — invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump in the coming days or Democrats will proceed this week with impeaching the president for an unprecedented second time.

She did so in a letter that you can read here

Politico says that:

...if Pence refuses to act, Democrats will immediately move to force Trump from office for his role in inciting violent riots at the Capitol on Wednesday linked to at least five deaths, including a police officer.

An interesting part of the letter is found tucked into its 6th paragraph:

I look forward to our Caucus call tomorrow. I am grateful to all Members for the suggestions, observations and input that you have been sending. Your views on the 25th Amendment, 14th Amendment Section 3 and impeachment are valued as we continue.

We all know the 25th Amendment (Section 4, specifically) details how a Vice President can temporarily remove a President from office when "the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. But what is Section 3 of the 14th Amendment?

This is the Section 3 of the 14th Amendment:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

I realize that's very legislative-wordy. Here's the important part:

No person shall be a...Representative in Congress,...who, having previously taken an oath as a member of Congress,...to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.

Now, who do you think that's addressed to? 

Among dozens of others, I am thinking Representative Guy Reschenthaler should be very interested in that discussion, don't you?