At least two of President Donald Trump’s top cabinet members and closest allies, reportedly, discussed with staff about the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment.
The outgoing president has been harshly criticised for inviting his supporters to rally in Washington, the same time when the congress was holding a decisive session to confirm the winning of President -elect Joe Biden.
CNBC quoted three sources familiar with the matter, that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held informal conversations within their own agencies about the contours of the 25th Amendment, the invocation of which would begin a process to remove Trump from office.
The arguments against pursuing action, according to the three sources, were manifold. First, the legal process itself was estimated to take more than a week, negating any immediate effect it would have. Second, it was unclear whether the three secretaries serving in “acting” roles without Senate confirmation would be able to cast a vote. Third, they had concerns that forcing Trump from office could further increase tensions among his base and make him a hero of the far right, doing more bad in the long-term than good in the short-term.
“The general plan now is to let the clock run out,” said one former senior administration official aware of the discussions. “There will be a reckoning for this president, but it doesn’t need to happen in the next 13 days.”
A current senior administration official said Pompeo may have been gathering information in preparation for a Cabinet discussion, even if he himself was not willing to personally lead the effort.
“The first oath the secretary ever took was at West Point, and that oath was to the Constitution,” this official told CNBC.
Further more, two of Trump’s other cabinet secretaries resigned on Thursday in protest over the storming of the Capitol Hill.
The education secretary and transportation secretary — the only two women in Trump’s inner cabinet — both said they could no longer remain in office after the violent rampage on a ceremonial session of Congress that certified President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
“That behavior was unconscionable for our country. There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me,” said Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, a conservative stalwart who had served throughout the administration.
“Impressionable children are watching all this, and they are learning from us,” she said in a letter to Trump.
“They must know from us that America is greater than what transpired yesterday.”
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who is married to Republican Senate majority Leader Mitch McConnell, earlier said it was “a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the president stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed.”
“It has deeply troubled me in a way I simply cannot set aside,” she added.
