The U.S. House of Representatives has formally launched efforts to force the early departure of President Donald Trump.
Democratic lawmakers introduced a resolution today calling on Vice-President Mike Pence and the federal cabinet to remove Trump on the grounds he is unfit to lead.
The resolution will be subject to a full House vote Tuesday after it failed to garner unanimous support.
Lawmakers also introduced their backup plan: a single article of impeachment, entitled "incitement of insurrection," to be voted on if Pence doesn't act.
And we will always be grateful for the men and women who stayed at their post to defend this historic place. To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins. And this is still the People's House. pic.twitter.com/ytErRKnk4O
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 7, 2021
If passed, it would make Trump the first U.S. president to be impeached twice, although it remains unclear whether the Senate would vote to convict.
Both resolutions accuse Trump of inciting supporters to interfere in congressional efforts to confirm president-elect Joe Biden's election win.
That's exactly what happened Wednesday, an hour after Trump's speech, when supporters overwhelmed police on Capitol Hill and laid siege to the building.
Five people died that day, including a Capitol police officer and a protester who was shot while trying to enter the House chamber.
Democratic lawmakers want Trump to resign immediately, or for Pence and cabinet members to use the constitution's 25th Amendment to remove him from office if he doesn't.
Neither appears likely at this stage, which is why Democrats are proceeding with impeachment, which could receive a vote in the House as early as Wednesday.