Ted Deutch votes for call to remove Donald Trump, will support second impeachment

Ted Deutch pushes to declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

Rep. Ted Deutch called an attack on the Capitol “one of the darkest days in our history.” He joined Tuesday in a vote calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25^th Amendment and remove President Donald Trump from office.

The Democratic Congressman from Florida’s 22nd Congressional District north of Fort Lauderdale cast his vote hours after saying responsibility for the Capitol riots “lies at the feet of the President.”

“This domestic terror attack was instigated by the sitting President who has for four years used violent rhetoric to delude and enrage his followers and direct their ire against his perceived enemies from both political parties, immigrants, peaceful protestors, the press and the institutions that form the fabric of our democracy,” Deutch said.

He also decried Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley and all other members of Congress who supported objecting to President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

“The violent mob was encouraged by Republican senators and representatives who amplified dangerous lies and called on Trump’s supporters to ‘fight’ to overturn the 2020 election,” Deutch said. “The mob listened, rejecting the democratic tradition of peaceful protest and embracing violent insurrection. They marched on the Capitol armed with deadly weapons with the clear goal of harming elected officials and police officers and preventing Congress from carrying out its work under the Constitution and laws of the United States.”

The consequence was a violent riot that has cost six lives to date, he said.

“Six Americans lost their lives as a direct result of the attack on the Capitol, including two U.S. Capitol Police officers. Dozens more law enforcement officers were seriously injured. And hundreds more suffered acute trauma,” Deutch said.

“There is no doubt: President Trump presents a clear and imminent danger to our country. The more we learn about the events of that day and the continued threats against our country, the more we understand the immense responsibility that lies at the feet of President Trump. He must either resign or be removed from office.”

Deutch will support a vote to impeach Trump a second time in 13 months, he said. That vote is expected Wednesday.

“If Vice President Pence refuses to act to protect America from Donald Trump using the 25th Amendment, the House of Representatives will immediately exercise its sole power of impeachment and call on the U.S. Senate to hold the President accountable, remove him from office, and bar him from ever holding federal office again,” Deutch said. “Accountability is not an obstacle to unity and healing; it is a necessary step toward it.”