Many detractors of President Donald Trump weren't expecting Vice President Mike Pence to move forward with invoking the 25th Amendment, and now Pence has confirmed his refusal. Following last week's insurrection at the Capitol, House Democrats have called for Trump to be impeached while others have pressured Pence to have Trump removed from office. In a reported letter to Nancy Pelosi, Pence stated that the 25th Amendment was set in place for incapacity or disability and was not to be used as a form of punishment.
"I did not yield to pressure to exert power beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcomes of the election, 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," he wrote in the note. The New York Times reported that in a previous meeting between Trump and Pence, things became heated as the two argued over the Electoral College votes and certification of President-Elect Joe Biden.
“You can either go down in history as a patriot or you can go down in history as a p*ssy," Trump allegedly told the Vice President according to two people briefed on the discussion. As Pence was hiding in the basement of the Capitol building with members of Congress as the domestic terrorists invaded, Trump tweeted his disappointment in his running mate.
"Aides said Mr. Pence did not want to become a long-term nemesis of a vindictive president, and by Monday he was back in the West Wing," the outlet reported.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1349163014361149441
https://twitter.com/_/status/1349185441384173568
https://twitter.com/_/status/1349172411153920000
https://twitter.com/_/status/1349161131043155968
