Pence uses Pelosi's own words to justify not invoking the 25th Amendment

The vice president said that Trump should be removed for a medical reason

Vice President Mike Pence told Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that he will not invoke the 25th Amendment, as lawmakers flooded into the House chamber for a vote Tuesday night on a resolution calling for him to do so.

"Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert power beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election," Pence said to the speaker in an evening letter. "And I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation."

TRUMP, PENCE MEET FOR 1ST TIME SINCE CAPITOL RIOT

Pelosi has been vocal in leading House Democrats who believe President Trump needs to be held accountable for actions she believes led to the deadly Capitol riots last week.

Fox News obtained a copy of the letter to the speaker. Invoking the 25th Amendment would remove Trump, who has just eight days left in his term, from office.

"Just a few months ago, when you introduced legislation to create a 25th Amendment Commission, you said, [a] President’s fitness for office must be determined by science and facts'," Pence wrote. "You said that we must be very respectful of not making a judgment on the basis of a comment or behavior that we don’t like, but based on a medical decision.

"Madam Speaker you were right," the vice president added.

Pence urged her to reconsider pushing forward with actions that he believes would further "divide and inflame the passions of the moment."

Pelosi could not be immediately reached by Fox News for comment.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who drafted the resolution calling for the creation of a 25th Amendment Commission in October last year, argued earlier Tuesday that the president has proven that he is unfit to fulfill the presidency.

"Today we’re looking at Section 4, which we are asking the Vice President to invoke by activating and mobilizing the Cabinet to declare what is patently obvious to a horrified and anxious nation: the President is not even minimally discharging the basic duties of his office," Raskin said to the Rules Committee.

"I don’t think there is a reasonable person in the country with his or her eyes open who doesn’t understand that the President was hell-bent on trying to challenge, undermine, and overturn the result of the election in all of the events leading up to January 6th, and on January 6th."

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP 

The House is still scheduled to vote on articles of impeachment Wednesday. Sources have told Fox News that House Republican leadership has said they will not whip their party to vote against the impeachment of Trump.

Matt Leach and Brittany De Lea contributed to this report.

Load more..