Torrance Congressman Ted Lieu Renews Call To Remove Trump With 25th Amendment

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - On a day when one of the nation's most cherished institutions was overrun by supporters of President Donald Trump, a Southern California lawmaker renewed his oft-repeated calls to remove the president from office with less than two weeks left in his term.

Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Los Angeles, was one of several members of the Southland congressional delegation who found themselves barricaded on Capitol Hill Monday as supporters of the president stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress prepared to certify the results of the Nov. 3 election.

In response to the attack on the Capitol, Lieu called on Vice
President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, a process that would remove Trump from office, saying the president is "detached from reality.''

"This assault on our nation's Capitol is a coup attempt and all those involved should be prosecuted as such,'' Lieu said.

Lieu had previously pushed for legislation mandating the presence of a psychiatrist in the White House at all times and has voiced support to establish oversight committees that could evaluate a president's fitness for office and potentially trigger the 25th Amendment to remove him from office if deemed unfit.

Lieu's call echoed a similar effort announced Wednesday by Rep. Ilhan Omar to impeach Trump prior to President-elect Joe Biden's Jan. 20 inauguration.

Omar tweeted: "Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate. We can't allow him to remain in office, it's a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath."