DOWNEY — Downey’s congressional representative, Lucille Roybal-Allard, said she supports removing President Trump from office following last week’s attack on the Capitol, calling Trump “unfit to perform his duties.”

Roybal-Allard co-sponsored Rep. Illhan Omar’s resolution to impeach the president and released the following statement:

“[Last] week’s violent attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob supporting Donald Trump was a treasonous attack on our democracy and a criminal attempt to overturn Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in a free and fair presidential election. The Capitol Building is the very heart of American democracy. That any American, let alone the sitting President of the United States, would actively encourage their followers to raid the building in an attempt to intimidate lawmakers and reverse the will of the American people is a horrifying and traitorous turn of events.

“Based on these events, today I have taken the following actions: I have joined colleagues in signing a letter to Vice President Pence urging him to invoke the 25th Amendment to declare President Trump unfit to perform his duties and remove him from office. I have also cosponsored Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s resolution to impeach President Trump.

“This domestic terrorist attack was a culmination of years of divisive, violence-inducing rhetoric from President Trump. Trump has proven that he will shatter institutions, intimidate and punish his political opponents and commit egregious and traitorous crimes against our nation to remain in power. He has shown no qualms about putting his own interests above those of the nation, and he set the stage for an attack like this one since before he was elected. He is unfit to perform his duties and his actions have put the United States in grave danger. Congress must use its check on the presidency and impeach Donald Trump for the sake of the future of our democracy.

“Let me be clear: this invasion was an act of domestic terrorism. For Vice President Pence to allow President Trump’s attempted coup to go unpunished directly contradicts the solemn oath to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.’ For this reason, and in defense of our nation’s values and laws, my colleagues and I stand together in urging the Vice President to honor his oath and fulfill his duty to the United States.  

“While it is with a heavy heart that I have made this decision, it is incumbent upon me and my colleagues to fulfill our duty to our nation and our Constitution. Even amid these horrific events and chaotic times, my faith in our democracy remains strong, and I remain honored and grateful to the people of California’s 40th District for choosing me to fight for them in Congress. It is through adherence of my responsibility to serve them and their interests that I have decided on this course of action. Our democracy is a sacred one, and these steps must be taken for it to survive and for our nation to heal and unify in the years to come.”