US: House Will Move To Impeach Trump This Week, Over Capitol Riots, Announces Speaker Nancy Pelosi

In a letter to leaders, Pelosi said leaders of the Democratic-led House will try to pass a resolution on Monday calling on Pence to activate the 25th Amendment of the Constitution to declare Trump incapable of fulfilling the duties of his office.

(Photos by Mandel NGAN and SAUL LOEB / AFP)

US Capitol Hill seize: In the wake of US Capitol Hill seize, the support for impeachment of President Donald Trump has grown stronger as the US House of Representatives Democrats plan a vote on Monday to urge Vice President Mike Pence to take steps to remove the President from office. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has chalked out a plan shared in a letter to members on Sunday evening even as parties struggle on Trump's political future in the remaining 10 days of his office before Democratic President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on January 20. In her letter, Pelosi said leaders of the Democratic-led House will try to pass a resolution on Monday calling on Pence to activate the 25th Amendment of the Constitution to declare Trump incapable of fulfilling the duties of his office. If Pence does not respond, Democrats would proceed with impeaching the president for a historic second time. "In protecting our Constitution and our Democracy, we will act with urgency, because this President represents an imminent threat to both," Pelosi said in the letter, as per Reuters. "As the days go by, the horror of the ongoing assault on our democracy perpetrated by this President is intensified and so is the immediate need for action," she wrote. What has happened so far? After the supporters of Donald Trump seized the building of Capitol Hill, officials have been able to process at least 25 domestic terrorism investigations into Wednesday's assault, according to a House Democrat. The incident has  left five people dead in the violence through the seat of government after Trump's backers stormed the Capitol Hill after a fiery speech denouncing the November 3 election results by the Republican president, as per Reuters . The five dead included one Capitol Police officer beaten after he attempted to ward off the crowds. Another police officer involved in the building's defence died while off duty in the days following the attack. Trump, in his speech has challenged the validity of Biden's election victory, praised and egged on supporters before they laid siege to the Capitol, where lawmakers were certifying the Electoral College vote for Biden. Lawmakers had to leave the premise as the building was mobbed by Trump supporters who came wearing hats with his slogan and waving flags with his name. Which Republicans are supporting impeachment? There was support among some Republicans, however, for Trump's removal. Senator Pat Toomey, a conservative backer of Trump until recently, told NBC that Trump's resignation "as soon as possible" would be best for the country. Lisa Murkowski became the first Republican US senator to say Trump should resign immediately. Republican Ben Sasse said he would "definitely consider" impeachment. Toomey said he did not think impeachment was viable with only 10 days left in Trump's term and noted there did not appear to be a consensus to use the 25th Amendment to strip Trump of his powers. As per the report. Toomey believed Trump could be held criminally liable in the events at the Capitol. However, Pence opposed using the 25th Amendment to remove Trump. The White House said Trump planned to leave Washington to visit Texas on Tuesday. Biden has said he will leave the impeachment question to Congress. He did say Congress must be able to hit the ground running once he takes office when he will focus on the coronavirus pandemic and economic recovery. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on Sunday that the threat from violent extremist groups remained high after the Capitol attack.  Twitter has permanently suspended Trump, who relied on it as one of his most direct ways to communicate with backers.