The White House on Friday dismissed Democrat calls for impeaching President Donald Trump, arguing that it would only further divide the country.
“As President Trump said yesterday, this is a time for healing and unity as one Nation,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said in a statement to reporters. “A politically motivated impeachment against a President with 12 days remaining in his term will only serve to further divide our great country.”
The White House reacted after President-elect Joe Biden said that he was not personally focused on impeaching President Trump, noting that he would take office in just 13 days from now.
“I think it’s important we get on with the business of getting him out of office,” Biden said. “The quickest way that that will happen is us being sworn in on the 20th.”
Biden said that if Trump still had six more months of his presidency he would press for Congress to impeach him or use the 25th Amendment to remove him from power.
“He’s been an embarrassment to the country. Embarrassed us around the world,” the president-elect said. “Not worthy to hold that office.”
Biden said he would leave decisions about additional impeachment proceedings to leaders of Congress.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signaled support for the House of Representatives moving articles of impeachment forward as soon as next week, if President Trump did not resign or if Vice President Mike Pence did not use the 25th Amendment to force the president out of office.