Since Wednesday's attack on the Capitol orchestrated by President Donald Trump's supporters from across the country, members of Congress have been calling for the president's removal from office either via impeachment or the 25th Amendment. Among those members of Congress are those who previously served.
Notably, the only Republican lawmaker to publicly call for Trump's removal is Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who also serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard.
"Sadly, yesterday it became evident that not only has the president abdicated his duty to protect the American people and the people's house -- he invoked and inflamed passions that only gave fuel to the insurrection that we saw here," Kinzinger said. "All indications are that the president has become unmoored, not just from his duty or even his oath but from reality itself."
While Kinzinger is the only Republican member of Congress to call for Trump's removal, he is far from the only veteran member of Congress to do so.
"It’s clear Donald Trump is a threat to our nation and he should be removed from office as soon as possible," Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said in a statement. "The Cabinet should immediately invoke the 25th Amendment, but if they fail to do so then Congress must immediately begin impeachment proceedings to safeguard our Republic."
Duckworth is one of the few female veterans serving in Congress. She lost both her legs and partial use of her right arm when she was deployed to Iraq as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot for the Illinois Army National Guard. On Wednesday, before the certification of the electoral vote was interrupted, Duckworth explained that she lost her legs "proudly fighting in a war I didn’t support, on the orders of a President I didn’t vote for because I believed in a government of, by and for the people. Where voters choose who leads them, not the other way around."
Fellow female veteran member of Congress Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., was evacuated from her office after reports of a pipe bomb outside the building. At least two pipe bombs were safely detonated by law enforcement on Wednesday. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is currently seeking the individual who placed them using security footage.
Other veteran members of Congress now calling for Trump's removal were recognized on Wednesday for their level-headed handling of the situation inside the Capitol. A now well-circulated photo of former Army Ranger Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., shows him comforting another member as the lawmakers shelter on the floor of the House chamber.
Crow told CNN, "I haven't felt that way in over 15 years since I was a Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan." He advised other lawmakers to remove identifying markers such as pins and planned to use the pen in his pocket as a weapon if necessary.
Marine Corps veteran Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., was recognized for helping others who were unfamiliar with the sensation to breath slowly through their gas masks.
The 25th Amendment would immediately transfer the president's powers and duties to the vice president. The amendment has tiers of permanence and severity, so to speak. The third section of the 25th Amendment has been invoked several times in the past to temporarily transfer power to the vice president during medical procedures. The fourth section of the amendment, however, which permanently deems the president unfit for leadership, has never been invoked. The vice president and a majority of either the Cabinet or a group established by Congress must coordinate to invoke the amendment.