In the wake of Wednesday’s violent riot at the Capitol, an 11th-hour effort to remove President Donald Trump from office appears to be growing and may have bipartisan support. A number of Republican leaders and Cabinet members have said in public and through sources that they believe Trump should leave office before Jan. 20, either by a second impeachment or by invoking the Constitution’s 25th Amendment.

Many on both sides of the aisle have blamed the president for stoking violence at a rally that included his unsubstantiated election-fraud claims. Trump supporters broke windows and stormed the Capitol as a joint session of Congress was attempting to formally ratify the Electoral College tally that will put President-elect Joe Biden in the White House.

“He has to be impeached and removed,” an unnamed Republican elected official told CNN.

Although Trump must legally step aside in less than two weeks, a former senior official is reported to have said the president's actions were egregious enough to justify an early removal.

“I think this has been a huge shock to the system. How do you keep him in place for two weeks after this?” the Republican said.

The two channels for removing a president before the end of their term have different burdens and mechanics. If Trump were impeached for a second time, the Senate could potentially bar him from holding federal office again, but that is a time-consuming process.

An alternative would be the 25th Amendment, which would require Vice President Mike Pence and a majority of Trump’s cabinet to agree that Trump is no longer capable to “discharge the powers and duties of his office.”

Sources have said any discussions of either route have been preliminary and informal.

Yesterday’s riots have also prompted strong rebukes from such Republican leaders as former President George W. Bush and Utah Sen. Mitt Romney. Romney said Trump “deliberately misinformed his supporters" about the election, calling the riots and “insurrection.”

Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming was even more direct, giving the president one of his sharpest rebukes, telling Fox News, “There is no question that the president formed the mob. The president incited a mob, the President addressed the mob.”

Cheney told NBC News that Trump is to blame because the “mob” violence was directly triggered by his false claims of a “rigged” election.

“Those are very, very dangerous things, and he will be remembered, this will be part of his legacy, and it is a dangerous moment for the country,” Cheney said.

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