House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pushing different measures to punish President Donald Trump for sparking Wednesday’s riots on Capitol Hill that claimed at least five lives.

According to Politico, Pelosi will first try to get the House to approve a resolution demanding Vice President Mike Pence invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office. Pence is said not to support this option, which has never been used.

The 25th Amendment was adopted in the wake of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.  A portion of the amendment, on filing a vice presidential vacancy, was used to appoint a replacement for Spiro Agnew in 1973. 

 Pelosi’s back-up plan is to push a floor vote this week on new articles of impeachment.

In a letter to Democratic House members, Pelosi wrote:

…Majority Leader Hoyer will request Unanimous Consent to bring up the Raskin resolution. This resolution calls on the Vice President to convene and mobilize the Cabinet to activate the 25th Amendment to declare the President incapable of executing the duties of his office, after which the Vice President would immediately exercise powers as acting President. The text of the resolution can be found here.

If we do not receive Unanimous Consent, this legislation is planned to be brought up on the Floor the following day. We are calling on the Vice President to respond within 24 hours.

Next, we will proceed with bringing impeachment legislation to the Floor.

Pelosi also wrote that Democratic members’ “views on the 25th Amendment, 14th Amendment Section 3 and impeachment are valued as we continue.”

The 14th Amendment’s “Disqualification Clause” was aimed at former confederates, but some Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, are toying with reviving the defunct clause in an effort to expel GOP members of Congress for questioning the outcome of the Nov. 3 election.

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