by Morgan Artyukhina
Jan. 8, 2021
US President-elect Joe Biden has denounced US President Donald Trump for the insurrection by his followers on Wednesday, accusing him of inciting the violence and saying he is unfit for the nation’s highest office. Trump is due to step down in two weeks.
Speaking on Friday from his transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, the 78-year-old president-elect called Trump “an embarrassment around the world.”
“He is not fit to serve. He is one of the most incompetent presidents in the history of the US … what 81 million people stood up and said [is] ‘it’s time for him to go,'” Biden said, referring to the total number of votes he received in the November 3, 2020, election that Trump has disputed.
“He exceeded even my worst notions about him,” Biden added. “He’s been an embarrassment to the country.”
However, he said there is still one thing he and Trump agree on: “him not attending my inauguration.” However, Biden noted that US Vice President Mike Pence, who was not a party to Wednesday’s violence, is still welcome to come. “We’ll be honored to have him there and move forward with the transition,” Biden said.
Biden also reiterated his position that the Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol building and ransacked it in an attempt to halt Congress’ certification of the 2020 election results are “domestic terrorists.”
Concerning the calls for impeaching Trump, though, Biden said it is up to Congress to decide on the matter, while his three main priorities at this point and in the first days of his presidency are: containing the spread of COVID-19, vaccine distribution and facilitating the economic recovery.
“What the Congress decides to do is for them to decide,” Biden said.
Democrats Calling for Impeachment as Trump Concedes Election
Following the US Capitol siege on Wednesday as thousands of Trump supporters breached the complex forcing some lawmakers to hide in shelter, many Republicans reversed their earlier intentions to support the president’s electoral challenge. At the same time, top Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have voiced efforts to oust Trump, either through invoking the 25th Amendment or initiating a procedure of impeachment.
The 25th Amendment allows for a temporary or permanent transfer of power from the US president to vice president if the majority of cabinet members certify to the congress that the president is unable to perform his duties. However, Vice President Mike Pence has reportedly opposed to the prospects of invoking the amendment.
On Friday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) became the first GOP lawmaker to call on President Trump to resign in the wake of recent events.
“I want him to resign. I want him out. He has caused enough damage,” she told the Anchorage Daily News.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also called on Trump on Friday to step down or otherwise face impeachment
I call on President Trump to resign.
If he refuses, I call for impeachment.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 8, 2021
The January 6 assault on the national legislature came immediately after a “Stop the Steal” rally hosted by Trump outside the White House at which Trump encouraged his supporters to take action to stop a fraudulent election result from going forward. US Capitol Police failed to stop the crowds, which gained entry to the Capitol building but failed to stop the certification process, which resumed after they were cleared from the building.
Five people died because of the riot, including a Capitol Police officer and a female rioter who was shot by an officer.
While several Democratic lawmakers have pledged to introduce articles of impeachment against Trump for the incident next week, the Justice Department has declined to press criminal charges against him for incitement to violence.
According to NBC News, the newly drafted articles seek to oust Trump over “abuse of power” and “incitement of insurrection” charges.
On Thursday, Trump denounced the insurrectionists and called for their prosecution in a video message posted on Twitter in which he also finally conceded defeat to Biden. At the same time, he said that millions of his supporters would have “a giant voice long into the future.”
“I continue to strongly believe that we must reform our election laws to verify the identity and eligibility of all voters and to ensure faith and confidence in all future elections,” Trump said.
Published at sputniknews.com
