This week's Congress joint session and the followed riots crate opened Donald Trump's republican support and exposed the fault lines in the relationship

Republicans confront Donald Trump's effect on party

Days after Trump's loyalists unleashed violence in the Capitol hill, calls for the impeachment of outgoing President Donald Trump is gaining momentum. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that she is ready to start impeachment proceedings.

Calls for Trump's impeachment gain momentum

The US Department of Justice has announced new arrests in connections with the Capitol riots on January 6.

US Dept of Justice makes new arrests in Capitol riots

The office of the Architect of the Capitol in Washington, the office that preserves and maintains the building’s art and architecture, released Friday the first inventory of the damage sustained during Wednesday’s riot.

Damage to the interior of the building was largely limited to broken glass, broken doors and graffiti, the report said, although it noted that statues, murals and historic benches displayed the residue of various pepper sprays, tear gas and fire extinguishers deployed by both rioters and law enforcement personnel. They will need to be carefully cleaned and conserved, the report said.

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Outside the building, two bronze light fixtures that were designed in the late 19th century by Frederick Law Olmsted, the American landscape architect, and that illuminate the grounds at night, were broken. The report also noted graffiti on the west side of the building near stands that are being constructed for the inauguration of Joe Biden this month.

No major artworks were reported damaged, despite the violent demonstrations inside the building by Trump supporters that took the Capitol Police nearly four hours to quell. A mob broke into rooms on the south side of the Capitol (including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office), smashed windows and then marched through the National Statuary Hall, waving American, Confederate and “Trump Is My President” flags.

Vandals in red “Make America Great Again” hats, many of whom photographed and recorded themselves, wreaked havoc in congressional offices and the Rotunda. One man crammed a framed photo of the Dalai Lama into his backpack, while another smoked marijuana in a room with maps of Oregon on the wall. A 19th-century marble bust of former President Zachary Taylor was defaced with a red substance that looked like blood.

Also read|<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bravery-or-self-preservation-resignations-of-trump-officials-draw-skepticism-355651">&nbsp;Bravery or self-preservation? Resignations of Trump officials draw skepticism</a>

But the large-scale, 18-foot paintings by John Trumbull and other artists that depict scenes from the republic’s founding in the Rotunda, and the dozens of statues that fill the National Statuary Hall to the south that filled the background of many of the rioters’ photos, all appear to have escaped damage.

The office noted on Thursday that many of its employees had worked through the night to clean up the trash, glass and other debris that littered the building and begin repair work.

“Wednesday was a difficult day for our campus,” the architect of the Capitol, J. Brett Blanton, said in a statement. “As the Architect of the Capitol mission calls us to serve, preserve and inspire, it was particularly hard to watch the scene unfold.”

The office of the Architect of the Capitol in Washington, the office that preserves and maintains the building’s art and architecture, released Friday the first inventory of the damage sustained during Wednesday’s riot.

The office of the Architect of the Capitol in Washington, the office that preserves and maintains the building’s art and architecture, released Friday the first inventory of the damage sustained during Wednesday’s riot. Damage to the interior of the building was largely limited to broken glass, broken doors and graffiti, the report said, although it noted that statues, murals and historic benches displayed the residue of various pepper sprays, tear gas and fire extinguishers deployed by both rioters and law enforcement personnel. They will need to be carefully cleaned and conserved, the report said. Also read| In focus: US president has sole power to launch nuclear strike Outside the building, two bronze light fixtures that were designed in the late 19th century by Frederick Law Olmsted, the American landscape architect, and that illuminate the grounds at night, were broken. The report also noted graffiti on the west side of the building near stands that are being constructed for the inauguration of Joe Biden this month. No major artworks were reported damaged, despite the violent demonstrations inside the building by Trump supporters that took the Capitol Police nearly four hours to quell. A mob broke into rooms on the south side of the Capitol (including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office), smashed windows and then marched through the National Statuary Hall, waving American, Confederate and “Trump Is My President” flags. Vandals in red “Make America Great Again” hats, many of whom photographed and recorded themselves, wreaked havoc in congressional offices and the Rotunda. One man crammed a framed photo of the Dalai Lama into his backpack, while another smoked marijuana in a room with maps of Oregon on the wall. A 19th-century marble bust of former President Zachary Taylor was defaced with a red substance that looked like blood. Also read| Bravery or self-preservation? Resignations of Trump officials draw skepticism But the large-scale, 18-foot paintings by John Trumbull and other artists that depict scenes from the republic’s founding in the Rotunda, and the dozens of statues that fill the National Statuary Hall to the south that filled the background of many of the rioters’ photos, all appear to have escaped damage. The office noted on Thursday that many of its employees had worked through the night to clean up the trash, glass and other debris that littered the building and begin repair work. “Wednesday was a difficult day for our campus,” the architect of the Capitol, J. Brett Blanton, said in a statement. “As the Architect of the Capitol mission calls us to serve, preserve and inspire, it was particularly hard to watch the scene unfold.”

First inventory of damage to US Capitol building released

In a city where people can strive for decades to land a plum government job, resignations on principle do not happen often and, when they do, often reverberate as selfless acts of valor.

But as <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Trump</a> administration officials from Cabinet members to junior White House aides quit this week — less than two weeks before their jobs would have ended anyway — over President Donald Trump’s incitement of a riot Wednesday at the Capitol, the reaction has combined applause for drawing a line on Trump’s behavior with caustic condemnation for what many see as self-serving, cost-free leaps toward public redemption.

“I don’t have any question that some of these are resignations of convenience, and resume resignations,” said Peter Wehner, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center who worked for three previous Republican presidents but has long been a critic of Trump.

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The test of how to judge such departures, he said, is complicated, and depends on how hard the exiting officials worked while on the inside to constrain presidential behavior they considered immoral or dangerous. But he said any claims by those officials that they were shocked by Wednesday’s events were dubious. “It was almost inevitable for the Trump presidency to end like this, or something like this,” he said.

The resignations include two Cabinet officials, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao. Several White House aides also stepped down, including Matthew Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser; Rickie Niceta, the social secretary; Stephanie Grisham, the chief of staff to the first lady and a former White House press secretary; and Trump’s special envoy to Northern Ireland, Mick Mulvaney, who spent more than a year as Trump’s acting chief of staff.

Some, like Mulvaney and DeVos, who called the president’s language inciting the rioters “unconscionable,” were explicit about their disgust. Others, like Pottinger and Grisham, left quietly but for seemingly obvious reasons.

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To Trump’s die-hard supporters, they may be traitors. But the departed Trump administration officials had stood by the president through countless other episodes that shocked consciences across the country: the separation of migrant children from their parents at the border, Trump’s equivocal words about white supremacist groups, and his many weeks dedicated to undermining the presidential election result with false claims about voter fraud and at least one vague threat to a state election official.

Mulvaney in particular was known as an enabler of the president who did little to constrain Trump’s impulses.

Even some people critical of officials who remained in Trump’s employ through such episodes said the resignations created political pressure that might act as a check on Trump now. The resignations may even have contributed to his belated condemnation Thursday of the violence at the Capitol, and his assurance of a peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 20, they said.

“John Rhodes and Hugh Scott hadn’t been profiles in courage in standing up to Nixon. Still, it mattered when they did,” said William Kristol, a conservative writer and activist who has been critical of Trump, referring to the two senior-most Republicans in Congress who played a crucial role in persuading President Richard Nixon to resign in August 1974.

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Yet none of the departing Trump officials appear to be making the kind of self-sacrifice remembered in some famed resignations. Cyrus Vance resigned as secretary of state in 1980 in protest of President Jimmy Carter’s failed secret mission to rescue American hostages in Iran. Two senior Department of Health and Human Services officials quit in anger over President Bill Clinton’s decision to sign a sweeping 1996 welfare reform law. Trump’s first secretary of defense, Jim Mattis, quit after Trump’s sudden decision to remove U.S. troops from northeastern Syria.

At least one Trump administration official appears to have invited his own firing this week: Gabriel Noronha, a State Department press aide, tweeted Wednesday that Trump was “entirely unfit to remain in office, and needs to go.” In what could not have been a surprise to him, Noronha was dismissed the following day.

Others have been publicly rumored to be considering their plans, including the national security adviser, Robert C. O’Brien, who tweeted condemnations of Wednesday’s riot. O’Brien, who has spoken to friends about a future run for office, is said to be staying on for the sake of stability, but may have enjoyed reputational gain among Trump critics after a slew of news leaks cast him in a Hamlet-like role about his future.

But Trump officials confirmed Friday that five National Security Council senior directors, handling issues including Russia and weapons of mass destruction, had quietly resigned from their jobs since Wednesday.

In the cases of DeVos and Chao, some critics complained that by departing, they were forgoing an opportunity to do something far more consequential: join with other disgusted Cabinet officials in a potential effort to invoke the 25th Amendment and relieve Trump of his presidential duties.

“At this late a stage, resignations help little beyond serving as late attempts at self-preservation,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wrote on Twitter. “If Sec. Chao objects to yesterday’s events this deeply, she should be working the Cabinet to invoke the 25th amendment — not abdicating the seat that allows her to do so.”

Alyssa Farah, who left as White House communications director weeks before the deadly mayhem in the Capitol, said it was clear then that Trump’s post-election behavior was intolerable.

“I made the decision to step down in December because I saw where this was heading,” she told Politico in an interview published Friday.

In a city where people can strive for decades to land a plum government job, resignations on principle do not happen often and, when they do, often reverberate as selfless acts of valor.

In a city where people can strive for decades to land a plum government job, resignations on principle do not happen often and, when they do, often reverberate as selfless acts of valor. But as Trump administration officials from Cabinet members to junior White House aides quit this week — less than two weeks before their jobs would have ended anyway — over President Donald Trump’s incitement of a riot Wednesday at the Capitol, the reaction has combined applause for drawing a line on Trump’s behavior with caustic condemnation for what many see as self-serving, cost-free leaps toward public redemption. “I don’t have any question that some of these are resignations of convenience, and resume resignations,” said Peter Wehner, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center who worked for three previous Republican presidents but has long been a critic of Trump. Also read| In focus: US president has sole power to launch nuclear strike The test of how to judge such departures, he said, is complicated, and depends on how hard the exiting officials worked while on the inside to constrain presidential behavior they considered immoral or dangerous. But he said any claims by those officials that they were shocked by Wednesday’s events were dubious. “It was almost inevitable for the Trump presidency to end like this, or something like this,” he said. The resignations include two Cabinet officials, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao. Several White House aides also stepped down, including Matthew Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser; Rickie Niceta, the social secretary; Stephanie Grisham, the chief of staff to the first lady and a former White House press secretary; and Trump’s special envoy to Northern Ireland, Mick Mulvaney, who spent more than a year as Trump’s acting chief of staff. Some, like Mulvaney and DeVos, who called the president’s language inciting the rioters “unconscionable,” were explicit about their disgust. Others, like Pottinger and Grisham, left quietly but for seemingly obvious reasons. Also read| US Speaker says House can move to impeach Trump if he doesn’t resign To Trump’s die-hard supporters, they may be traitors. But the departed Trump administration officials had stood by the president through countless other episodes that shocked consciences across the country: the separation of migrant children from their parents at the border, Trump’s equivocal words about white supremacist groups, and his many weeks dedicated to undermining the presidential election result with false claims about voter fraud and at least one vague threat to a state election official. Mulvaney in particular was known as an enabler of the president who did little to constrain Trump’s impulses. Even some people critical of officials who remained in Trump’s employ through such episodes said the resignations created political pressure that might act as a check on Trump now. The resignations may even have contributed to his belated condemnation Thursday of the violence at the Capitol, and his assurance of a peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 20, they said. “John Rhodes and Hugh Scott hadn’t been profiles in courage in standing up to Nixon. Still, it mattered when they did,” said William Kristol, a conservative writer and activist who has been critical of Trump, referring to the two senior-most Republicans in Congress who played a crucial role in persuading President Richard Nixon to resign in August 1974. Also read| Biden likes Trump's decision to skip inauguration, slams vaccine rollout Yet none of the departing Trump officials appear to be making the kind of self-sacrifice remembered in some famed resignations. Cyrus Vance resigned as secretary of state in 1980 in protest of President Jimmy Carter’s failed secret mission to rescue American hostages in Iran. Two senior Department of Health and Human Services officials quit in anger over President Bill Clinton’s decision to sign a sweeping 1996 welfare reform law. Trump’s first secretary of defense, Jim Mattis, quit after Trump’s sudden decision to remove U.S. troops from northeastern Syria. At least one Trump administration official appears to have invited his own firing this week: Gabriel Noronha, a State Department press aide, tweeted Wednesday that Trump was “entirely unfit to remain in office, and needs to go.” In what could not have been a surprise to him, Noronha was dismissed the following day. Others have been publicly rumored to be considering their plans, including the national security adviser, Robert C. O’Brien, who tweeted condemnations of Wednesday’s riot. O’Brien, who has spoken to friends about a future run for office, is said to be staying on for the sake of stability, but may have enjoyed reputational gain among Trump critics after a slew of news leaks cast him in a Hamlet-like role about his future. But Trump officials confirmed Friday that five National Security Council senior directors, handling issues including Russia and weapons of mass destruction, had quietly resigned from their jobs since Wednesday. In the cases of DeVos and Chao, some critics complained that by departing, they were forgoing an opportunity to do something far more consequential: join with other disgusted Cabinet officials in a potential effort to invoke the 25th Amendment and relieve Trump of his presidential duties. “At this late a stage, resignations help little beyond serving as late attempts at self-preservation,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wrote on Twitter. “If Sec. Chao objects to yesterday’s events this deeply, she should be working the Cabinet to invoke the 25th amendment — not abdicating the seat that allows her to do so.” Alyssa Farah, who left as White House communications director weeks before the deadly mayhem in the Capitol, said it was clear then that Trump’s post-election behavior was intolerable. “I made the decision to step down in December because I saw where this was heading,” she told Politico in an interview published Friday.

Bravery or self-preservation? Resignations of Trump officials draw skepticism

A lot happened during the time when Donald Trump's supporter rioted the Capitol Building in Washington, United States. While the officials are already calculating the damage caused to the government property, another concern has been raised by lawmakers which has sent the Capitol into a panic.

As per initial reports, at least two computers have been stolen from the Capitol during the pro-Trump riots. which took place on Wednesday. One of the stolen laptops belonged to the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/majority-of-americans-want-immediate-removal-of-president-trump-poll-finds-355599">Majority of Americans want immediate removal of President Trump, poll finds</a>

An aide close to Pelosi, who has been re-elected for the post, confirmed that a laptop that belonged to Pelosi was stolen during the riots. The laptop, according to the aide, belonged "to a conference room and was used for presentations". The second laptop stolen belonged to a Democratic senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon.&nbsp;

The acting US attorney, Michael Sherwin, has revealed that the stolen laptops may pose threats to "national security equities". However, the content of the laptops have not been revealed by any officials.

"Regardless of how much they want to downplay this, the laptop has to have at least access that could be leveraged,"&nbsp;said Brandon Hoffman, the chief information security officer at IT security provider Netenrich. "It’s highly unlikely that this laptop was sitting there with no files, or file access, or any other useful information to somebody looking for leverage or retribution."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/twitter-permanently-suspends-donald-trumps-account-355517">WATCH|</a>

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The breach of laptops may pose threat to national security, as per experts. However, it is still unclear how, and if, the stolen laptops can be traced. For now, the local authorities have launched an investigation into the matter.&nbsp;

Following the riots and the breach of security, Trump's arch-rival Nancy Pelosi has also announced that if Trump does not resign immediately, she has instructed the House Rules Committee to go ahead with the&nbsp;impeachment process for the infamous President.

"If the President does not leave office imminently and willingly, the Congress will proceed with our action,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.

However, the White House officials are now warning the incoming administration about the pressure an impeachment would create on the outgoing Vice President Mike Pence and the remaining Trump administration.&nbsp;"Impeaching President Donald Trump with 12 days remaining in his presidency would only serve to further divide the country," said White House spokesman Judd Deere.

A lot happened during the time when Donald Trump's supporter rioted the Capitol Building in Washington, United States. While the officials are already calculating the damage caused to the government property, another concern has been raised by lawmakers which has sent the Capitol into a panic.

A lot happened during the time when Donald Trump's supporter rioted the Capitol Building in Washington, United States. While the officials are already calculating the damage caused to the government property, another concern has been raised by lawmakers which has sent the Capitol into a panic. As per initial reports, at least two computers have been stolen from the Capitol during the pro-Trump riots. which took place on Wednesday. One of the stolen laptops belonged to the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Also read| Majority of Americans want immediate removal of President Trump, poll finds An aide close to Pelosi, who has been re-elected for the post, confirmed that a laptop that belonged to Pelosi was stolen during the riots. The laptop, according to the aide, belonged "to a conference room and was used for presentations". The second laptop stolen belonged to a Democratic senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon. The acting US attorney, Michael Sherwin, has revealed that the stolen laptops may pose threats to "national security equities". However, the content of the laptops have not been revealed by any officials. "Regardless of how much they want to downplay this, the laptop has to have at least access that could be leveraged," said Brandon Hoffman, the chief information security officer at IT security provider Netenrich. "It’s highly unlikely that this laptop was sitting there with no files, or file access, or any other useful information to somebody looking for leverage or retribution." WATCH| × The breach of laptops may pose threat to national security, as per experts. However, it is still unclear how, and if, the stolen laptops can be traced. For now, the local authorities have launched an investigation into the matter. Following the riots and the breach of security, Trump's arch-rival Nancy Pelosi has also announced that if Trump does not resign immediately, she has instructed the House Rules Committee to go ahead with the impeachment process for the infamous President. "If the President does not leave office imminently and willingly, the Congress will proceed with our action,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. However, the White House officials are now warning the incoming administration about the pressure an impeachment would create on the outgoing Vice President Mike Pence and the remaining Trump administration. "Impeaching President Donald Trump with 12 days remaining in his presidency would only serve to further divide the country," said White House spokesman Judd Deere.

Theft of Nancy Pelosi's laptop in Capitol riots raises security concern

Former First Lady Michelle <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/barack-obama?page=1">Obama</a> took to social media platform Twitter to condemn the infamous riots carried out by outgoing US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>'s supporters who refused to acknowledge <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden's</a> win in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/us-election">US elections 2020</a>.

"All I know is that now is a time for true patriotism. Now is the time for those who voted for this president to see the reality of what they've supported—and publicly and forcefully rebuke him and the actions of that mob," she said.

While she said the riots had raised several questions about "security, extremism, propaganda, and more", she cannot stop thinking about what the treatment and reaction from the police and government&nbsp;would have been if the rioters looked different. "There's one question I just can't shake: What if these rioters had looked like the folks who go to Ebenezer Baptist Church every Sunday? What would have been different?," she wrote.

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Like all of you, I’ve been feeling so many emotions since yesterday. I tried to put my thoughts down here: <a href="https://t.co/9xzRvrpk7y">pic.twitter.com/9xzRvrpk7y</a>
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichelleObama/status/1347284244763127810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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She also called upon the social media networks and urged them to ban Trump from their respective platforms, in order to bring peace as many believe Trump had been inciting and promoting violence through his posts.

"Now is the time for Silicon Valley companies to stop enabling this monstrous behavior—and go even further than they have already by permanently banning this man from their platforms and putting in place policies to prevent their technology from being used by the nation's leaders to fuel insurrection," she said.

Trump was, within few hours, 'indefinitely' banned from <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-has-banned-donald-trump-indefinitely-says-mark-zuckerberg-355214">Facebook</a> and temporarily banned from twitter — <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-various-bans-donald-trump-makes-a-comeback-on-twitter-355250">but he returned to Twitter within 12 hours</a>.

Michelle's husband and former US President, Barack Obama, too, had earlier expressed disappointment over the riots through a statement on Twitter. Describing it as a moment of "great dishonor and shame for our nation", he blamed Donald Trump for the riots. "History will rightly remember today's violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselssly lie about the outcome of a lawful election," he said.&nbsp;

Former First Lady Michelle Obama took to social media platform Twitter to condemn the infamous riots carried out by outgoing US President Donald Trump's supporters who refused to acknowledge Joe Biden's win in the US elections 2020.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama took to social media platform Twitter to condemn the infamous riots carried out by outgoing US President Donald Trump's supporters who refused to acknowledge Joe Biden's win in the US elections 2020. "All I know is that now is a time for true patriotism. Now is the time for those who voted for this president to see the reality of what they've supported—and publicly and forcefully rebuke him and the actions of that mob," she said. While she said the riots had raised several questions about "security, extremism, propaganda, and more", she cannot stop thinking about what the treatment and reaction from the police and government would have been if the rioters looked different. "There's one question I just can't shake: What if these rioters had looked like the folks who go to Ebenezer Baptist Church every Sunday? What would have been different?," she wrote. Like all of you, I’ve been feeling so many emotions since yesterday. I tried to put my thoughts down here: pic.twitter.com/9xzRvrpk7y — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) January 7, 2021 × She also called upon the social media networks and urged them to ban Trump from their respective platforms, in order to bring peace as many believe Trump had been inciting and promoting violence through his posts. "Now is the time for Silicon Valley companies to stop enabling this monstrous behavior—and go even further than they have already by permanently banning this man from their platforms and putting in place policies to prevent their technology from being used by the nation's leaders to fuel insurrection," she said. Trump was, within few hours, 'indefinitely' banned from Facebook and temporarily banned from twitter — but he returned to Twitter within 12 hours. Michelle's husband and former US President, Barack Obama, too, had earlier expressed disappointment over the riots through a statement on Twitter. Describing it as a moment of "great dishonor and shame for our nation", he blamed Donald Trump for the riots. "History will rightly remember today's violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselssly lie about the outcome of a lawful election," he said.

'I hurt for our country': Michelle Obama, reacts after Capitol riots

The head of the EU executive called violence at the U.S. Capitol "outrageous" on Thursday (January 7) but said the fact Joe Biden was still confirmed by Congress proved that American democracy was resilient.

EU Chief: US Capitol violence 'outrageous' but US democracy is strong

The US President Donald Trump faced the threat on Thursday of a second impeachment, a day after his supporters breached the U.S. Capitol in a stunning assault on American democracy as Congress was certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

Trump faces calls for removal, possible impeachment after US Capitol chaos

President Donald Trump conceded for the first time on Thursday (January 7) that Joe Biden will be the next U.S. president, a day after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was certifying Biden's victory.

Trump acknowledges Biden victory; condemns 'heinous attack' on Capitol

Supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the U.S. Capitol, breaking windows and stealing things, could face charges including sedition, insurrection and rioting, Washington, D.C.'s top federal prosecutor said on Thursday.

Trump supporters who stormed US Capitol could face sedition charges

n the aftermath of a violent mob invading the Capitol building on Wednesday, calls in Congress are growing for President Donald Trump to be stripped of the power of his office under the disability clause of the 25th Amendment.

The amendment provides a complex, difficult process for wresting power from a sitting president. Here is a brief history of the 25th Amendment and an explanation of how it operates.

What is the 25th Amendment?

The 25th Amendment to the Constitution is primarily designed to clarify the presidential order of succession. The first three sections deal with when a president resigns, dies or becomes ill or temporarily incapacitated.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/i-hurt-for-our-country-michelle-obama-reacts-after-capitol-riots-355301">'I hurt for our country': Michelle Obama, reacts after Capitol riots</a>

The fourth section provides a multistep process for the vice president and a majority of the officials who lead executive agencies — commonly thought of as the Cabinet — to declare that the president is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.” That process ultimately requires a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress.

How did the 25th Amendment come about?

In the aftermath of John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, there was some confusion about how to choose a new vice president after Lyndon B. Johnson became president. And there was concern about what might happen if Johnson fell ill or was incapacitated before his replacement was found. Congress formally proposed the 25th Amendment in 1965, and the amendment became part of the Constitution in 1967, after 38 states ratified it.

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How would it actually work, if invoked now?

The first step would be for Vice President Mike Pence and a majority of the Cabinet to provide a written declaration to the president pro tempore of the Senate (currently Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa) and the speaker of the House (currently Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.) that Trump “is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.” That would immediately strip Trump of the powers of his office and make Pence the acting president.

But the 25th Amendment would allow Trump to immediately send a written declaration of his own to Grassley and Pelosi saying that he is in fact able to perform his duties. That would immediately allow him to resume his duties, unless Pence and the Cabinet send another declaration to the congressional leaders within four days restating their concerns. Pence would take over again as acting president.

That declaration would require Congress to assemble within 48 hours and to vote within 21 days. If two-thirds of members of both the House and the Senate agreed that Trump was unable to continue as president, he would be stripped permanently of the position and Pence would continue serving as acting president. If the vote in Congress fell short, Trump would resume his duties.

Would that ever happen?

The authors of the 25th Amendment intended it to be a difficult process that would make it exceedingly rare. They succeeded.

To put it in context, it is even more difficult to strip a president of power under the 25th Amendment than it is under the impeachment process. A president can be impeached by a simple majority in the House and removed from office by a two-thirds vote in the Senate. Stripping a president of power under the 25th Amendment requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers.

n the aftermath of a violent mob invading the Capitol building on Wednesday, calls in Congress are growing for President Donald Trump to be stripped of the power of his office under the disability clause of the 25th Amendment.

n the aftermath of a violent mob invading the Capitol building on Wednesday, calls in Congress are growing for President Donald Trump to be stripped of the power of his office under the disability clause of the 25th Amendment. The amendment provides a complex, difficult process for wresting power from a sitting president. Here is a brief history of the 25th Amendment and an explanation of how it operates. What is the 25th Amendment? The 25th Amendment to the Constitution is primarily designed to clarify the presidential order of succession. The first three sections deal with when a president resigns, dies or becomes ill or temporarily incapacitated. Also read| 'I hurt for our country': Michelle Obama, reacts after Capitol riots The fourth section provides a multistep process for the vice president and a majority of the officials who lead executive agencies — commonly thought of as the Cabinet — to declare that the president is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.” That process ultimately requires a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress. How did the 25th Amendment come about? In the aftermath of John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, there was some confusion about how to choose a new vice president after Lyndon B. Johnson became president. And there was concern about what might happen if Johnson fell ill or was incapacitated before his replacement was found. Congress formally proposed the 25th Amendment in 1965, and the amendment became part of the Constitution in 1967, after 38 states ratified it. Also read| After various bans, Donald Trump makes a comeback on Twitter How would it actually work, if invoked now? The first step would be for Vice President Mike Pence and a majority of the Cabinet to provide a written declaration to the president pro tempore of the Senate (currently Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa) and the speaker of the House (currently Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.) that Trump “is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.” That would immediately strip Trump of the powers of his office and make Pence the acting president. But the 25th Amendment would allow Trump to immediately send a written declaration of his own to Grassley and Pelosi saying that he is in fact able to perform his duties. That would immediately allow him to resume his duties, unless Pence and the Cabinet send another declaration to the congressional leaders within four days restating their concerns. Pence would take over again as acting president. That declaration would require Congress to assemble within 48 hours and to vote within 21 days. If two-thirds of members of both the House and the Senate agreed that Trump was unable to continue as president, he would be stripped permanently of the position and Pence would continue serving as acting president. If the vote in Congress fell short, Trump would resume his duties. Would that ever happen? The authors of the 25th Amendment intended it to be a difficult process that would make it exceedingly rare. They succeeded. To put it in context, it is even more difficult to strip a president of power under the 25th Amendment than it is under the impeachment process. A president can be impeached by a simple majority in the House and removed from office by a two-thirds vote in the Senate. Stripping a president of power under the 25th Amendment requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers.

What is the 25th Amendment, and how does it work?

Hundreds of President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday (January 6) in a bid to overturn his election defeat, occupying the symbol of American democracy and forcing Congress to suspend a session to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

US Capitol invaders smash windows, destroy furniture

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