Nancy Pelosi unveils 25th amendment plan to oust president from office after accusing Trump of being in ‘altered state’
NANCY Pelosi has unveiled her 25th amendment plan to oust the president from office after she accused Donald Trump of being “in an altered state.” The House Speaker released the plan during a press conference on Friday. ⚠️ Follow our US election 2020 live blog for the latest news & updates Pelosi mentioned that due […]
NANCY Pelosi has unveiled her 25th amendment plan to oust the president from office after she accused Donald Trump of being “in an altered state.”
The House Speaker released the plan during a press conference on Friday.
Follow our US election 2020 live blog for the latest news & updates
Pelosi mentioned that due to the drugs that Trump has been on since he was diagnosed with Covid last week, “medical professionals say this could have an impact on judgment.”
The comments come less than 24 hours after the Democrat questioned if the president would be thinking clearly due to the medication.
“The president is, shall we say, in an altered state right now,” Pelosi said on Bloomberg TV. “I don’t know how to answer for that behavior.”
However, on Friday the Speaker insisted that this is not a personal attack on the president.
“This is not about President Trump,” Pelosi said. “He will face the judgment of the voters. But he shows the need for us to create a process for future presidents.”
She concluded by generalizing her previous bold comments, saying: “Any of us who is under medication of that seriousness is in an altered state.”
Following the press conference, Trump hit back at the Speaker on Twitter.
“Crazy Nancy Pelosi is looking at the 25th Amendment in order to replace Joe Biden with Kamala Harris. The Dems want that to happen fast because Sleepy Joe is out of it!!!”
In an extraordinary move, Pelosi on Thursday said she would push for a commission to be set up to allow Congress to sack Trump via the 25th amendment – which allows for the removal of a sitting president if he’s deemed unfit for office.
Earlier in the day, reporters asked Pelosi if she thought it was time “to invoke the 25th Amendment.”
“I’ll talk to you about that tomorrow,” Pelosi replied. “I’m not going to talk about it today.”
What is the 25th Amendment?
THE 25th Amendment comes into play if the president of the United States cannot fulfill their duties.
If President Donald Trump is unable to do his job, he sends a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Pro Tempore of the Senate Chuck Grassley explaining he is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
Vice President Mike Pence then becomes acting president.
When the president is ready to resume authority, the president sends another letter.
Click here to read more on the presidential line of succession.
But just before 5pm, Pelosi and Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin announced that Democrats were introducing legislation in the House seeking to remove Trump from office.
“We need to act,” Raskin said on Friday. “In times of chaos, we must hold fast to our Constitution.”
“The 25th amendment is all about the stability of the presidency and the continuity of the office.”
The Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of Office Act will be presented to lawmakers on Friday.
The 25th Amendment works like this: A president sends a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President pro tempore of the Senate that he is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
“Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress,” the amendment states.
The Speaker of the House – at this time, Pelosi – is behind the vice president in the line of succession.
In a scenario where neither president nor vice president could fulfill the duties, Pelosi would take over as commander-in-chief of the United States.
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Presidents have only transferred power three times since 1967 when the amendment was ratified.
Former President Ronald Reagan did so briefly in 1985 when he underwent a colonoscopy, giving power to Vice President George HW Bush.
When George W Bush underwent colonoscopies in 2002 and 2007, he similarly turned power over to Vice President Dick Cheney.