Calls grow for Trump's removal after Capitol riot

By Meg Wagner, Melissa Mahtani, Melissa Macaya, Veronica Rocha, Mike Hayes and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 12:01 p.m. ET, February 8, 2021
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3:40 p.m. ET, January 7, 2021

Trump and Pence have not spoken since attack on Capitol happened, sources say

From CNN's Pamela Brown

Getty Images
Getty Images

Two sources familiar with the matter say the divide between President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence has deepened over the last 24 hours. Trump is angry at Pence and Pence is disappointed and saddened by Trump, sources say. 

Pence’s feelings built up after weeks of Trump trying to convince him to unilaterally overturn the election and it culminated with the mayhem yesterday fomented by the President’s comments. 

Additionally, Pence was the one on the phone with Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller urging a more rapid response from the National Guard following widespread frustration among lawmakers about the lack of the response. Trump never called to check on his well-being and still has not reached out to Pence even now. 

The source said despite the current dynamic, at this point, it doesn’t appear either will do anything in response, such as Pence resigning. 

Additionally, the source says many administration officials who have been discussing invoking the 25th Amendment as CNN reported last night feel today such a move would do more harm than good. 

A separate source close to Pence says as of early this afternoon those conversations had not made their way to the his office but lawmakers have been trying to reach him on the matter. 

3:29 p.m. ET, January 7, 2021

Acting defense secretary calls out "reprehensible" violence at US Capitol

From CNN's Oren Liebermann

Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller speaks on November 13.
Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller speaks on November 13. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller called the storming of the US Capitol “reprehensible and contrary to the tenets of the United States Constitution,” in a statement released by the Pentagon Thursday. 

Miller commended the actions of the District of Columbia National Guard, and said the Pentagon would “execute the time-honored peaceful transition of power” to President-elect Joe Biden.

“Our Republic may have been disrupted yesterday, but the resolve of our legislators to conduct the people’s business did not waver. Due to their efforts, supported by local and federal law enforcement and the National Guard, the attempts of those who tried to stop our government from functioning failed,” Miller said

“I strongly condemn these acts of violence against our democracy. I, and the people I lead in the Department of Defense, continue to perform our duties in accordance with our oath of office, and will execute the time-honored peaceful transition of power to President-elect Biden on January 20,” he added.

Miller was named acting secretary by President Trump after the President fired former Defense Secretary Mark Esper after the Nov. 3 election.

 

3:34 p.m. ET, January 7, 2021

FEMA administrator calls attack on Capitol an "insurrection" in message to workforce

From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez

FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor speaks on June 8.
FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor speaks on June 8. Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images

Pete Gaynor, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, condemned Wednesday’s riots in a message to the workforce Thursday afternoon, calling it an “insurrection,” according to an internal message obtained by CNN. 

“Yesterday we watched with shock, concern, and sadness at the senseless attack on the house of American democracy,” Gaynor said, adding that the “heartbreaking images of this insurrection have left a scar on our nation.”

Gaynor said FEMA staff worked overnight to “support efforts to ensure continuity of government operations,” later adding: “There are many questions lingering about the attack on the U.S. Capitol and it will take time to discover the answers.” 

CNN reached out to FEMA for more information on the agency’s role yesterday.

3:18 p.m. ET, January 7, 2021

Twitch disables Trump's channel

From CNN's Kaya Yurieff

Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Twitch said Thursday it has disabled President Trump's channel on the gaming service, making it the latest tech platform to crack down on the President's accounts after his supporters stormed the US Capitol building.

“In light of yesterday’s shocking attack on the Capitol, we have disabled President Trump’s Twitch channel," the company said in a statement. "Given the current extraordinary circumstances and the President's incendiary rhetoric, we believe this is a necessary step to protect our community and prevent Twitch from being used to incite further violence."

The move from the Amazon-owned gaming service comes as other platforms escalate their restrictions on the President's accounts.

On Thursday, Facebook banned Trump's account from posting on the platform for at least the duration of his term in office, and possibly "indefinitely." A day earlier, Twitter locked Trump’s account temporarily, and warned for the first time that it could suspend him permanently.

Trump has a significantly smaller audience on Twitch than he does on Twitter and Facebook.

3:08 p.m. ET, January 7, 2021

Maryland governor calls for Trump to either resign or be removed from office

From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, right, speaks during a press conference on January 7.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, right, speaks during a press conference on January 7. Maryland Governor's office

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, said he thinks the nation would be better off if President Trump were to be removed from office during a news conference Thursday.

"I think there’s no question that America would be better off if the President would resign or be removed from office. And if Mike Pence, the vice president of the United States, would conduct a peaceful transfer of power over the next 13 days until President Biden is sworn in," he said.

"We need leadership right now and we need to stop all of this craziness," Hogan said.

He called the attack by pro-Trump supporters "heinous" and an attack on the rule of law.

"What we saw in the nation’s Capitol was not just an attack on the people’s representatives or historic buildings and our law enforcement. It was an attack on the rule of law, the foundation of self-government and who we are as Americans. The mob may have shattered glass but they did not and they will not shatter our democracy," he said.

Hogan also noted that while he had the state's National Guard ready to be deployed to the Capitol, he was unable to get immediate federal authorization to send them in for nearly 90 minutes.

 

4:10 p.m. ET, January 7, 2021

Black protesters are treated "completely different," BLM co-founder says

From CNN's Josiah Ryan

Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, speaks during an interview on January 7.
Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, speaks during an interview on January 7. CNN via Cisco Webex

Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, condemned security officials’ response to the Capitol Hill riots today, saying protesters who were marching for civil rights over the summer were treated much more harshly. 

“Black leaders, Black organizers, Black protesters are treated completely different,” Cullors told CNN. “…We are met with rubber bullets. People in Louisville, Kentucky, were met with riot gear. Here in Los Angeles we were met with tear gas and brutalized by a militarized police force.”

Cullors went on to say it was “disgusting” that there was “no to little security yesterday.” 

She also praised President-elect Joe Biden’s remarks earlier today in which he also drew a contrast between the security response to the Capitol riots and the police response to Black Lives Matter protesters over the summer.

“Hearing President-elect Joe Biden really speak to the dire situation that happened and clarifying that Black Lives Matter protesters have been and continue to be treated differently than White supremacist terrorists was huge,” she said. “He's speaking not just to the country, but speaking on a global stage.”

Watch the interview:

2:57 p.m. ET, January 7, 2021

Suspects in Capitol riot are appearing in court

From CNN's Christina Carrega, Noah Broder and Katelyn Polantz

The first defendants arrested during the Capitol riot yesterday are appearing in court now.

In some of the first appearances in the DC Superior Court on Thursday, prosecutors asked for the judge to block defendants from being in the city, noting they were not residents.

Judge Juliet McKenna ordered Michael Jared Amos, 38, of Florida, to stay out of the District of Columbia until further notice, only allowing him in the capital for court-related appearances.

Amos was charged on Wednesday with unlawful entry into the US Capitol building and violating the 6 p.m. curfew set by the mayor. Amos is accused of disobeying the commands of Capitol Police and MPD police officers, and that he ignored the citywide curfew. He has pleaded not guilty. 

Another defendant David Ross, 33, of Massachusetts, pleaded not guilty to unlawful entry and violating the 6 p.m. curfew. He also was ordered by the judge to stay away from Washington, DC.

During his court appearance Thursday over Zoom, Amos sat in a holding cell, and said his cell phone was dead. He was wearing a surgical mask and an army green T-shirt with a stars and stripe design. He said he had a hotel room in the DC area, and would be heading out of the city.

Ross, just before his brief hearing ended, asked the judge to explain the charges because he did not understand them, so the judge informed Ross to speak to his attorney.

The federal court, DC's District Court, will also be hearing new cases related to the riots on Thursday, and that hearing is set to begin shortly.

The DC Superior Court initial hearings are ongoing. 

3:10 p.m. ET, January 7, 2021

Pelosi: "My phone is exploding with 'impeach, impeach, impeach'"

From CNN's Clare Foran, Manu Raju and Daniella Diaz

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi holds her weekly press conference at the US Capitol on January 7 in Washington, DC.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi holds her weekly press conference at the US Capitol on January 7 in Washington, DC. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called President Trump “a very dangerous person who should not continue in office,” adding, “this is urgent. This is emergency of the highest magnitude,” when asked at her news conference if she would encourage Cabinet members not to resign so that they can invoke the 25th Amendment."

Asked how long she would wait to see if the 25th Amendment would be invoked before potentially pursing impeachment, Pelosi said, “While there’s only 13 days left, any day can be a horror show for America."

Pelosi also described the interest she is receiving from members to move forward with impeachment.

“My members are very much interested. My phone is exploding with ‘impeach, impeach, impeach,'" she said, adding, “I don’t have immediate plans. We haven’t even been to sleep since the folly of the Republicans deciding we should go until four in the morning for no purpose whatsoever except to be enablers of the President’s sedition.” 

Asked about how long she would give Vice President Mike Pence to take action Pelosi said: “I don’t know how quickly he might respond, we’ll see. That could be quick.” She added, "I don't think that it'll take long to get an answer from the Vice President. It will either be yes or it will be no.”

As she discussed members of the Cabinet, Pelosi also said that the acting Secretary of Defense “has to answer for where the national guard was yesterday.”

“Ask each member of the Cabinet: Do they stand by these actions? Are they ready to say in the next 13 days this dangerous man can do further harm to our country, an assault on our democracy,” Pelosi said.

Watch the moment:

 

3:22 p.m. ET, January 7, 2021

House Sergeant-at-Arms will submit resignation, Pelosi says

From CNN's Manu Raju, Daniella Diaz and Clare Foran

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi holds a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 7.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi holds a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 7. J. Scott Applewhite/AP

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she called for the resignation of the US Capitol Police chief and said the House Sergeant-at-Arms has told her he is submitting his resignation.

"I am calling for the resignation of the chief of the Capitol police and I have received notice that Mr. Irving will be submitting his resignation," Pelosi said.

Watch the moment: