WASHINGTON -- In an extraordinary declaration, Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), called on Vice President Mike Pence to "seriously consider working with the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to preserve democracy" and remove President Donald Trump from office. 

NAM, which has largely been a strong proponent of Trump's economic policies, issued Timmon's statement via a press release as escalating chaos unfolded at the U.S. Capitol this afternoon. The 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution calls for the vice president to become president if the president becomes unable to do his job.

Timmons said, “Armed violent protestors who support the baseless claim by outgoing president Trump that he somehow won an election that he overwhelmingly lost have stormed the U.S. Capitol today, attacking police officers and first responders, because Trump refused to accept defeat in a free and fair election. Throughout this whole disgusting episode. Trump has been cheered on by members of his own party, adding fuel to the distrust that has enflamed violent anger. This is not law and order. This is chaos. It is mob rule. It is dangerous. This is sedition and should be treated as such. The outgoing president incited violence in an attempt to retain power, and any elected leader defending him is violating their oath to the Constitution and rejecting democracy in favor of anarchy. Anyone indulging conspiracy theories to raise campaign dollars is complicit. Vice President Pence, who was evacuated from the Capitol, should seriously consider working with the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to preserve democracy.

“This is not the vision of America that manufacturers believe in and work so hard to defend. Across America today, millions of manufacturing workers are helping our nation fight the deadly pandemic that has already taken hundreds of thousands of lives. We are trying to rebuild an economy and save and rebuild lives. But none of that will matter if our leaders refuse to fend off this attack on America and our democracy—because our very system of government, which underpins our very way of life, will crumble.”