Mass. congressional Democrats call for Trump's removal over threat to annihilate Iran

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Seth Moulton say President Trump should be removed from office over his threat to annihilate Iran.

Trump posted on social media Tuesday that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if no deal is reached to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The president has made repeated threats to destroy Iranian infrastructure over the past weeks.

Markey and Moulton urged Congress to return to session and begin impeachment proceedings.

“With each passing day, it becomes increasingly apparent that Donald Trump is unstable and a clear and present danger, not just to the American people but to the world," Markey said in a statement. "He must be removed from office before he causes incalculable and unfathomable harm."

Markey said current congressional efforts to stop the war in Iran are not enough.

Moulton, who is challenging Markey in this year's Senate race, issued a statement saying the president has "proven himself fundamentally unfit to hold the nuclear codes or the lives of our service members in his hands."

Trump is "casually threatening the death of an entire civilization on social media between promoting vanity projects," he said. "This is not 'tough talk' or 'the art of the deal.' This is the rhetoric of a madman."

Rep. Ayanna Pressley called the president's post “a horrifying threat of genocidal war crimes."

“Congress must stop this war and remove Trump from the White House,” she said in a statement.

Statements from other members of Massachusetts' all-Democrat congressional delegation did not go so far as to call for Trump's removal from office, but urged Congress to return to session. The body is on spring recess until the end of the week.

Rep. Lori Trahan said in a statement that "Americans didn't ask for this war" and won't "accept war crimes carried out in their name."

Trump did not seek congressional approval before striking Iran in February.
She urged the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to bring Congress back to D.C. "to reassert our authority before this rogue president drags us deeper into crisis."

Rep. Jim McGovern said Congress needs to reconvene to "rein in this mad president."

Rep. Katherine Clark, the Democratic Whip, said "Republicans in Congress hold the power to stop Trump today and protect our country and service members. What are they waiting for?"

Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Trump is "threatening war crimes of horrific proportions against civilians."

Legal experts told NPR that destruction of civilian infrastructure would be considered a war crime under international and U.S. law.