Illinois lawmakers call for removal of Trump: 'Dangerous' and 'loose cannon'
CHICAGO - The calls are growing louder for President Donald Trump to relinquish his powers.
"The president is unfit and the president is unwell," said Rep. Adam Kinzinger.
"He’s a dangerous person," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky.
Several Illinois lawmakers -- one Republican and multiple Democrats -- are on board with invoking the 25th Amendment of the Constitution.
"We need to do anything in our power to remove this man from power as quickly possible," said Rep. Sean Casten.
"The sooner we can be rid of him, the better," said Rep. Marie Newman.
Republican Kinzinger is the first GOP lawmaker to publicly call for the removal of President Trump.
"I call for the members of the cabinet to make sure the next few days are safe for the American people and that we have a sane captain of the ship," he said in a video posted to social media on Thursday.
Kinzinger says Trump encouraged his supporters to march on the Capitol and failed to condemn the violence when his base unleashed an assault on anything and anyone standing in their way.
"It’s time to invoke the 25th Amendment and to end this nightmare," Kinzinger said.
The 25th Amendment Section 4 would allow the president to discharge his powers and for the vice president to assume the duties of office as acting president.
Congresswoman Schakowsky says she supports that and other drastic measures, like drawing up articles of impeachment.
"I have joined in on a letter asking that the 25th Amendment or impeachment to prevent this president from more horrifying damage," she said.
President Trump has less than two weeks before his term expires. So far, no lawmakers have come up with a timeline for him to be removed before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. But many of them agree that time is of the essence.
"We do not have the luxury of time with this president. He is a loose cannon to say the very least," Rep. Newman said.
"I fear that his attitude is if I’m going down, I am going to take y’all with me," Rep. Schakowsky said.
If those around him try to remove Trump using the 25th Amendment, the president can challenge his cabinet, which is why some of his toughest critics see that route as impractical because of the short timeline.