Nat’l Association of Manufacturers Calls on Pence to Invoke 25th Amendment
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Association of Manufacturers is calling on Vice President to “seriously consider” invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office.
The statement came Wednesday evening, hours after a large group of pro-Trump protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol during the tally of electoral votes to confirm President-elect Joe Biden.
“This is not law and order. This is chaos. It is mob rule. It is dangerous. This is sedition and should be treated as such. The outgoing president incited violence in an attempt to retain power, and any elected leader defending him is violating their oath to the Constitution and rejecting democracy in favor of anarchy,” said President and CEO Jay Timmons in a statement. “Anyone indulging conspiracy theories to raise campaign dollars is complicit. Vice President Pence, who was evacuated from the Capitol, should seriously consider working with the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to preserve democracy.
“This is not the vision of America that manufacturers believe in and work so hard to defend. Across America today, millions of manufacturing workers are helping our nation fight the deadly pandemic that has already taken hundreds of thousands of lives,” the statement continued. “We are trying to rebuild an economy and save and rebuild lives. But none of that will matter if our leaders refuse to fend off this attack on America and our democracy—because our very system of government, which underpins our very way of life, will crumble.”
Timmons was previously executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
A section in the 25th Amendment – which outlines presidential succession and disability – allows the vice president and cabinet to declare the president “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office” and immediately transfer power to the president. It has never been invoked.
Other business leaders and trade groups also weighed in on the siege of the capitol. General Motors CEO Mary Barra denounced the violent protesters in a tweet Wednesday night.
“The peaceful transition of power is a cornerstone of American democracy, and regardless of politics the violence at the U.S. Capitol does not reflect who we are as a nation,” she said. “It’s imperative that we come together as a country and reinforce the values and ideals that unite us.”
The Business Roundtable issued a statement on behalf of its executives.
“The chaos unfolding in the nation’s capital is the result of unlawful efforts to overturn the legitimate results of a democratic election,” the organization said. “The country deserves better. Business Roundtable calls on the President and all relevant officials to put an end to the chaos and to facilitate the peaceful transition of power.”
Also condemning the violent protest – at least one protester was shot, while police found an improvised explosive device on Capitol grounds and gas was set off inside the building – were Citi CEO Michael Corbat, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.
“This is not who we are as a people or a country. We are better than this,” Dimon said in a statement. “Our elected leaders have a responsibility to call for an end to the violence, accept the results, and, as our democracy has for hundreds of years, support the peaceful transition of power. Now is the time to come together to strengthen our exceptional union.”
Pictured: Papers and other equipment after the House floor was evacuate as protesters tried to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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