Republican Senator Joins Calls for Resignation As Democrats Prepare To Impeach Trump

By Staff, Agencies

A second Republican senator called for US President Donald Trump to resign on Sunday, saying the Republican president could face criminal liability after the deadly storming of the US Capitol by his supporters.

The remarks by Senator Pat Toomey, a conservative supporter of Trump until recently, came as Democrats in the US House of Representatives prepared to move forward with impeachment proceedings and amid federal investigations of Wednesday's assault on the seat of government.

Trump, who has falsely contested the validity of Democrat Joe Biden's November 3 presidential victory, praised and egged on his supporters before they laid siege to the Capitol, where lawmakers were certifying the Electoral College vote for Biden.

"I think the best way for our country is for the president to resign and go away as soon as possible," Toomey said on NBC's "Meet the Press," calling Trump's behavior since the election "outrageous."

Toomey, appearing on several Sunday television news shows, said he did not think there was time for an impeachment with only 10 days left in Trump's term, and noted there did not appear to be consensus to use the Constitution's 25th Amendment to strip Trump of his powers.

He told CNN he believed Trump could be held criminally liable in the events at the Capitol.

Toomey's call followed that of fellow Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, who said on Friday that Trump should resign immediately. Republican Senator Ben Sasse, a frequent Trump critic, told CBS he would "definitely consider" impeachment.

US Representative Adam Kinzinger, another Republican, also called on Trump to step down on Sunday, and for Vice President Mike Pence to exercise the 25th Amendment if he refused.

However, it was unclear whether a significant number of other Republicans would follow suit. Republican leaders have urged the Democratic-led House not to initiate impeachment proceedings for a historic second time against Trump.

Pence opposed the idea of invoking the 25th Amendment, an adviser said.