Val Demings to co-sponsor articles of impeachment

No sour grapes for Val Demings.

Democratic Rep. Val Demings of Orlando intends to co-sponsor articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.

Demings served as a House impeachment manager last year during the first impeachment of Trump and was a leading advocate of impeachment through much of 2019. She declared in a tweet Thursday afternoon she now intends to pursue impeachment again.

Last night she tweeted that she would support invoking the 25th Amendment against Trump, essentially calling for Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to declare him unfit for office and relieve him of duty.

That call has picked up scores of other advocates including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. However, both Pelosi and Schumer have acknowledged the unlikelihood of that and also said impeachment is an option.

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota drafted and filed articles of impeachment Thursday afternoon. Others also reportedly are drafting articles.

Demings is signing on.

“I will be a cosponsor of the articles of impeachment being introduced in the House,” Demings tweeted.

Demings also indicated she wants to go after lawmakers who encouraged Trump’s behavior.

“I am also supporting @RepCori’s legislation for the House Committee on Ethics to investigate Members of Congress who helped incite Wednesday’s attack,” she added, citing Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri.

Late Wednesday, Demings was among the first to urge the 25th Amendment option. More than 100 lawmakers now have done so, including Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Winter Park and Rep. Charlie Crist of St. Petersburg.

The calls have come as lawmakers contemplate what happened Wednesday, when a mob of Trump supporters, egged on by Trump and his closest allies, attacked the U.S. Capitol, attempting to prevent Congress and Pence from counting votes from the Electoral College. Four people died including one shot dead by Capitol Police inside the Capitol. Many offices and the chambers were entered, some ransacked. More than a dozen police were injured.

The amendment allows for the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet to declare a President unfit for office. The Vice President then becomes acting President. The section of the amendment specifically addressing this procedure has never been invoked.