Pritzker calls on Congress to impeach President Donald Trump: ‘It must end’

Shortly after the U.S. Capitol was secured Wednesday evening following a mob of President Donald Trump supporters storming the building, Gov. J.B. Pritzker called on Congress to impeach the president, saying “two weeks is too long for Donald Trump to remain in office.”

Pritzker joined the chorus of elected officials accusing Trump of inciting the violence and said that he has “no doubt in my mind that [Trump’s] efforts to encourage a coup represent high treason to this democracy, our Constitution and all Americans.”

Pritzker continued saying that Trump “poses a danger” to the United States and that he “must be impeached and removed from office immediately.”

“This violence is the natural conclusion of Donald Trump’s efforts to unleash the forces of hate and divide our nation,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It must end.”

The Democratic governor also called out those who supported Trump.

“Every person in a position of public trust, elected or otherwise, who enabled the systemic 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.”

Earlier Wednesday, violent pro-Trump protesters forced the U.S. Capitol into a lockdown as lawmakers met to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. The rioters pushed past police barricades and eventually made their way into the building. A woman shot amid the chaos inside the U.S. Capitol later died of her injuries, the Associated Press reported.

The National Guard and state and federal police were called in for reinforcement, and the mayor of Washington, D.C., imposed a 6 p.m. curfew.

In Illinois, Pritzker had Illinois State Police to increase security around Illinois’ state Capitol, as well as the Bank of Springfield center.

Statehouse Republican Minority Leader Jim Durkin slammed the siege and, without naming the president, criticized “the inflammatory remarks by members of the Republican Party” as “a disgrace to the core values and beliefs of our great nation.”

“These actions do not represent our Republican party, and are against everything we stand for as Americans,” Durkin said in a statement. “I am sickened and deeply saddened by what I have witnessed today. Any public officials who condone these actions have no place in the Republican party or in our democracy.”

Read Pritzker’s full statement here:

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.