Pritzker: President Trump 'Must Be Impeached And Removed From Office Immediately' After Storming Of U.S. Capitol
CHICAGO (CBS Chicago/CBS News) -- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said state police have been redeployed to protect the state Capitol and other government buildings in Springfield, and also said two weeks is too long for President Donald Trump to remain in office after the U.S. Capitol was stormed in Washington, D.C.
"I don't make a statement like this lightly: Two weeks is too long for Donald Trump to remain in office, where he can continue to incite more untold violence," Pritzker wrote in a Facebook post. "I say this after careful thought and reflection on my responsibilities as an American and as Governor of Illinois."
Pritzker said state police and other law enforcement resources had been working on important life-saving missions, but now they have to protect state government buildings.
"We are in the middle of a deadly pandemic that continues to need the full time and attention of our state resources. We are working to oversee a massive vaccination effort that will require the full focus of our state agencies and first responders," the governor wrote.
He did not mince words as he continued criticizing President Trump.
"As the heart of our democracy was under siege and blood was literally being spilled in our most sacred halls, Donald Trump was praising the attackers," Pritzker wrote. "There are real questions about what efforts the President made to protect our Congress or what obstructions he committed that has prevented the ending of the siege."
Pritzker wrote that there was no doubt in his mind that President Trump had encouraged a coup, and he wrote that it represents 'high treason to this democracy, our Constitution and all Americans. He poses a danger to our nation."
"He must be impeached and removed from office immediately. And every person in a position of public trust, elected or otherwise, who enabled the systematic dismantling of our democratic norms and failed to speak up or take action bears some responsibility for the culmination of four years of spreading bile," Pritzker wrote. "This violence is the natural conclusion of Donald Trump's efforts to unleash the forces of hate and divide our nation. It must end."
Supporters of President Donald Trump forced the evacuation of the Senate Wednesday afternoon as lawmakers counted electoral votes to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the November election. The chaos erupted shortly after Mr. Trump gave a speech once again falsely claiming to have won a second term.
More than five people were hospitalized with injuries, including a woman who was shot, according to emergency officials. The woman has since died.
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