WashPost Editorial: Trump caused the assault on the Capitol. He must be removed.

Opinion by Editorial Board
Jan. 6, 2021 at 7:31 p.m. EST
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PRESIDENT TRUMP’S refusal to accept his election defeat and his relentless incitement of his supporters led Wednesday to the unthinkable: an assault on the U.S. Capitol by a violent mob that overwhelmed police and drove Congress from its chambers as it was debating the counting of electoral votes. Responsibility for this act of sedition lies squarely with the president, who has shown that his continued tenure in office poses a grave threat to U.S. democracy. He should be removed.

Mr. Trump encouraged the mob to gather on Wednesday, as Congress was set convene, and to “be wild.” After repeating a panoply of absurd conspiracy theories about the election, he urged the crowd to march on the Capitol. “We’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you,” he said. “You’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.” The president did not follow the mob, but instead passively watched it on television as its members tore down fences around the Capitol and overwhelmed police guarding the building. House members and senators were forced to flee. Shots were fired and at least one person was struck and killed.

Rather than immediately denouncing the violence and calling on his supporters to stand down, Mr. Trump issued two mild tweets in which he called on them to “remain” or “stay” peaceful. Following appeals from senior Republicans, he finally released a video in which he asked people to go home, but doubled down on the lies fueling the vigilantes. “We love you. You’re very special,” he told his seditious posse. Later, he excused the riot, tweeting that “these are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away.”

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The chaos confirmed once again the voters’ wisdom in rejecting Mr. Trump in favor of Joe Biden. The president-elect rose to the moment. “I call on this mob, now, to pull back and allow the work of democracy to go forward,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s not protest. It’s insurrection.” He concluded: “Today is a reminder, a painful one, that democracy is fragile.”

Mr. Biden is right. Rules, norms, laws, even the Constitution itself are worth something only if people believe in them. Americans put on their seat belts, follow traffic laws, pay taxes and vote because of faith in a system — and that faith makes it work. The highest voice in the land incited people to break that faith, not just in tweets, but by inciting them to action. Mr. Trump is a menace, and as long as he remains in the White House, the country will be in danger.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/remove-trump-incitement-sedition-25th-amendment/2021/01/06/b22c6ad4-506d-11eb-b96e-0e54447b23a1_story.html

Note: I'm posting extra paragraphs because of this national emergency - Wicked Blue

January 6 will go down as one of the darkest days in our history - Sen. Schumer nt

Former President Barack Obama says today's events were "incited by a sitting president" CNN

Former President Barack Obama says today's events were "incited by a sitting president"

Former President Barack Obama has issued a statement following today's violence on Capitol Hill where he implored Republicans to "choose reality and take the first steps toward extinguishing the flames."
""History will rightly remember today’s violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election, as a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation. But we’d be kidding ourselves if we treated it as a total surprise," Obama said."

Obama added: "I’ve been heartened to see many members of the President’s party speak up forcefully today. Their voices add to the examples of Republican state and local election officials in states like Georgia who’ve refused to be intimidated and have discharged their duties honorably. We need more leaders like these — right now and in the days, weeks, and months ahead as President-Elect Biden works to restore a common purpose to our politics. It’s up to all of us as Americans, regardless of party, to support him in that goal."

DC attorney general calls on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump - CNN

The Attorney General for the District of Columbia Karl Racine called on Vice President Mike Pence to organize the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office.

"Whether you like Vice President Pence or not, the fact is he is more fit for office... we need a commander-in-chief that will fulfill his constitutional responsibilities," he told CNN tonight.

"I would ask the vice president, please go the next step," continued Racine. "Do your constitutional duty. Protect America, stand up for democracy, and invoke the 25th Amendment.

"That requires Vice President Pence to move and get a majority of the Cabinet or majority of the Congress to immediately remove the President because he so clearly is not fit for office," said Racine, earlier in the conversation.

President Clinton: "The match was lit by Donald Trump and his most ardent enablers" From CNN's Dan

Former President Bill Clinton denounced the violence at the US Capitol, saying in a statement “Today we faced an unprecedented assault on our Capitol, our Constitution, and our country.”

"The assault was fueled by more than four years of poison politics spreading deliberate misinformation, sowing distrust in our system, and pitting Americans against one another. The match was lit by Donald Trump and his most ardent enablers, including many in Congress, to overturn the results of an election he lost," Clinton said.

He went on to say that the peaceful transfer of power must be completed.

"The election was free, the count was fair, the result is final. We must complete the peaceful transfer of power our Constitution mandates.
I have always believed that America is made up of good, decent people. I still do. If that’s who we really are, we must reject today’s violence, turn the page, and move forward together—honoring our Constitution, remaining committed to a government of the people, by the people, and for the people," Clinton said.

Who is in charge of the Federal Government? - CNN

CNN reports Pence has been coordinating with House, Senate, DC Mayor, Dept Defence etc "all day to secure the Capitol"

but no mention was made by Pence spokesman of Pence talking with Trump

CNN: "The vice president appears to be running things"

CNN: Source tells Acosta "Trump is out of his mind"

Jim Acosta reports he just spoke with a source close to the president, an advisor to Trump who says "Trump is out of his mind" but said there were so many "lackeys" in the cabinet that invoking the 25th Amendment is "unlikely to happen"

Pelosi says work of certification will resume tonight according to CNN

In a letter to colleagues, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced leaders of Congress have decided to resume the joint session tonight to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win once the Capitol is "cleared for use."

"In consultation with Leader Hoyer and Whip Clyburn and after calls to the Pentagon, the Justice Department and the Vice President, we have decided we should proceed tonight at the Capitol once it is cleared for use. Leader Hoyer will be sending out more guidance later today," she said.

at 8 PM acc to senator chuck schumer


I worry about their safety

Washington Post: Sen. Mitt Romney: "What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the Pre

Sen. Mitt Romney: "What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the President"

From CNN’s Nicky Robertson

Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, who has condemned GOP attempts to subvert the will of the voters in the presidential election, released a statement Wednesday night containing remarks he would have said in the US Senate before the insurrection in the US Capitol.

“We gather today due to a selfish man’s injured pride and the outrage of his supporters whom he has deliberately misinformed for the past two months and stirred to action this very morning. What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States. Those who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy. They will be remembered for their role in this shameful episode in American history. That will be their legacy,” Romney said.

Romney went on to say, “I urge my colleagues to move forward with completing the electoral count, to refrain from further objections, and to unanimously affirm the legitimacy of the presidential election.”

Washington Post: Suspected homemade bombs found near RNC and DNC headquarters

Suspected homemade bombs found near RNC and DNC headquarters
By Devlin Barrett and Josh Dawsey

What appeared to be two realistic-looking homemade bombs were found near the Republican National Committee headquarters and the Democratic National Committee headquarters in downtown Washington, officials said Wednesday, adding to the danger and disorder centered around Congress.

The suspected bomb outside the RNC was found next to a trash container, and was a metal pipe with metal end caps, with wires running from inside the pipe to a plastic kitchen timer, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing investigations.

FBI explosives experts responded to both devices, and they were “rendered safe by the FBI and our law enforcement partners,” the bureau said in a statement. “The investigation is ongoing.”

In a statement, the RNC called the suspicious package outside their building an “explosive device that was successfully detonated.”