Pelosi tells Dems Milley assured her 'safeguards' are in place
In a caucus call with House Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told her colleagues that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley assured her "safeguards" are in place when she expressed her concerns about Trump having access to nuclear codes in the last days of his presidency, sources on the line told ABC News.
She said she is planning to talk to Biden later in the day about how to move forward regarding Trump, according to sources on the call, after publicly calling for Trump's immediate removal through the 25th Amendment or through impeachment if Vice President Mike Pence and Cabinet officials refuse to proceed.
"The president chose to be an insurrectionist," Pelosi said on the call, according to sources.
"Impeachment encourages conversation on the 25th Amendment. That’s picked up a lot of steam," she said.
Pelosi, according another source, said she is "emotionally" devastated by Wednesday but remains "dispassionate" about how to move forward.
More than half the caucus -- or 130 House Democrats -- are calling for Trump's immediate impeachment and have co-sponsored a resolution from Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I. The House could take it up and pass it to the Senate as soon as next week.
But some Democrats are urging caution, wary of derailing Biden's agenda. Pelosi wanted to take the temperature of her members before discussing her options with the president-elect.
-ABC News' Mariam Khan, Benjamin Siegel, and Katherine Faulders