Capitol Siege: Bay Area Lawmakers Denounce Trump For Fueling Riot; Call For Invoking 25th Amendment

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Bay Area lawmakers and officials denounced the violence at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, pinning the blame on President Donald Trump and his Republican Party enablers for fueling the riot, and with some calling for his removal before his term expires in two weeks.

At least three members of Congress from the region, called for Trump's cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment of the Constitution to remove the president from office, less than two weeks before President-elect Joe Biden is set to be sworn in. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-San Mateo) and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Napa) announced their calls to invoke the amendment Wednesday afternoon.

"When you realize that President Trump has only been back in town for six days and what he's fomented, I fear what he will do in the next two weeks. He is delusional at this point," Speier told KPIX 5 Wednesday night.

Along with calling for the 25th Amendment, Thompson has also brought up the idea of impeaching Trump for a second time, which would prohibit him from holding federal office again if he is convicted.

"We need to do everything we can to make sure he doesn't do any more harm to our country. It seems as though he's trying to burn down the institution of representative government on his way out the door," Thompson said.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) has also joined the calls of using the 25th Amendment, joining other Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee in a letter to Vice President Mike Pence.

"We have seen the fruit of the President's remarks in the violence and chaos unleashed today," the letter read, in part. "President Trump has shown time and again that he is unwilling to protect our Democracy and carry out the duties of the office."

Bay Area lawmakers also weighed in, with San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo calling for sedition charges against Trump.

"We cannot go forward as a country where people believe they can be elected president and somehow undermine the will of the electorate when they want to stay in office," Liccardo said in a statement on Wednesday. "And the only way you can prevent that is by setting a very clear example."

Rioters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday as a joint session of Congress was held to count the Electoral College votes confirming Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election. For the past two centuries, the joint session was mostly a ceremonial part of the electoral process.

Other Bay Area members of Congress who were at the Capitol for Wednesday's joint session let their constituents know they were safe amid the rioting.

Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, who was attending the session and was also ushered to safety, weighed in on what she called "the assault on our Capitol and our nation's public servants."

Following his call to his supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol, Trump later issued tweets calling on rioters to refrain from violence, but did not immediate call on his supporters to leave the Capitol.

Later Wednesday, the president tweeted a video telling rioters and demonstrators "you have to go home now" while continuing to repeat the false claims about his election loss.

In an unprecedented move, the social media platform suspended his account as of Wednesday afternoon, with Facebook and Instagram following soon after.

Before President Trump tweeted his recorded message, President-Elect Joe Biden spoke like to address the Capitol violence and called on the president to tell his supporters to go home.