Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., blasted Republican calls for unity during an interview Tuesday following last week's atack on the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump extremists.
"Now is not the time for unity," Auchincloss told GBH All Things Considered host Arun Rath. "Now is the time for moral leadership. And moral leadership means that we must remove this tyrant from office."
His comments came as some in the GOP have called on Democrats to abandon their effort to force President Donald Trump from office, saying it could further enflame national tensions.
House Democrats are planning to pass a resolution Tuesday calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, which allows the vice president and a majority of the cabinet to remove a sitting president from office. If Pence declines, Democrats say they'll move ahead with impeachment proceedings on Wednesday.
Auchincloss said he supports both moves.
"This is about accountability for a president who has incited violence against Congress," Auchincloss said. "And it's also about the integrity of our country. [Trump] is not fit to be near the Twitter app — much less the nuclear codes."
As a member of the Newton City Council in 2017, Auchincloss voted against a symbolic resolution urging Congress to impeach the president.
Besides supporting impeachment now, the freshman representative is also raising the possiblity of removal for congressional Republicans who have supported efforts to overturn the results of the presidential election, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley.
"If you go to Congress and you take an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, you cannot then in your next breath encourage people to overthrow the federal government," Auchincloss said.
Auchincloss, who was registered as a Republican while working towards Gov. Charlie Baker's 2014 election, had no praise for members of the GOP who have now come out in support of removing Trump from power.
"For four years, House and Senate Republicans have been putting politics ahead of country and the Constitution," he said. "Perhaps some of them are now bending towards the arc of moral justice here. That is a welcome bit of news, but it is long past due."
Correction: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Rep. Jake Auchincloss’ party affiliation. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
