It really doesn’t
It says “resume the powers and duties of his office UNLESS” and then a bunch of stuff that could take 21 days and then “OTHERWISE the president shall resume the powers”
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And the courts would agree to that, eventually. In the mean time the armed mobs would be roving and he would be giving orders to a bunch of people, some large percentage of whom would obey.
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well we better do what he wants then
don’t make daddy mad
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According to the 14th amendment, either a treason or sedition conviction would do exactly that. Even without a conviction he may be barred, if his calling the seditious rioters good people can be considered giving aid or comfort:
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.
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Hardly, I just prefer the option that doesn’t rely on 1) his toadies going along with it 2) leaves enough wiggle room for him to continue his havoc 3) doesn’t bar him from future office. Impeachment is a better option.
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I just heard the same from a friend that is well connected but at this point its still more rumor than anything so assume it’s all BS until it is confirmed from reliable sources. It does give me a warm feeling thinking about trump frothing in a bunker somewhere as everything falls apart around him. I can hope.
Rumors below:
If reports I am hearing are to be believed, we will see certification tonight and immediate removal of Trump by 25th Amendment. Pence has effectively assumed the role of POTUS while Trump is on lockdown. This is going to be messy but multiple sources now saying White House was actively engaged in the coup attempt and pushed for terrrorists to hold the Capital Overnight. If true, it’s Treason level and even die hard Republicans won’t support.
Hearing insider reports that Trump has been effectively removed from power, has suffered a psychotic break, and that there are serious discussions underway to invoke the 25th Amendment. At this point it’s unconfirmed IC chatter so take it for what it’s worth, but also worth noting that VP Pence has been making all decisions for the last few hours.
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Except you can have Pence literally standing next to Pelosi and Grassley to immediately hand them a written and signed note saying “no, he isn’t” in order to counter Trump’s attempts to get the power back. That immediately shuts down Trump and makes Pence Acting President until Congress can decide.
Why not go for both? Pence starts up the 25th as above, removing all power from Trump, preventing him from using pardon powers to excuse his MAGA traitors who stormed Congress, his family, or any other cronies. It also prevents him from using the power of the Presidency to do any other damage on the way out.
Simultaneously, Congress pushes through an impeachment before they even have to decide on resolving Pence’s call for the 25th. Trump is out of power during the impeachment so cannot try use the powers of the executive branch to disrupt the process. The impeachment goes through, Pence becomes full President upon removal of Trump (thereby cementing his name in the annals of history), and Biden fails to become the 46th President (he instead becomes the 47th a few days later).
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I know we want trump out of office, but can we not conduct a coup in order to do it? Because that’s exactly what trying to invoke the 25th amendment is right now. It’s a coup. He’s not physically incapable of the duties of his office. Just mentally disinclined to do so.
No. It’s invoking an amendment. What happened today in the Capitol and elsewhere was a coup.
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Using the legal framework provided to us to remove dangerous, incapacitated, or incompetent leaders is the literal opposite of a coup.
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You know how when you quit, you give them two weeks notice, but when you’re fired, they escort you out of the building? I’m thinking that we’re there.
Which of these options is applicable in this case?
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It’s a constitutionally allowed remedy. Do you have a problem with the constitution?
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The problem is, that would then be a separate issue - to keep him in jail long enough that he wouldn’t be able to run again. If he got pushed out, I’m not sure there would be the political appetite to also do that. I mean, that absolutely needs to happen, but no one seems all that interested in making it so.
Their originalism extends to amendments ratified after 1791
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I’m realizing that it’s not just that, but also the possibility that the Republicans are realizing that Trump might just get them killed. Because they came damn close to it today.
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We are going to see more of this sort of thing from Republicans as they finally realize that their long tiger ride is coming to an end. When the National Association of Manufacturers, the Business Roundtable, the Chamber of Commerce, and Moscow Mitch all call for an end to the insurrection, you know it’s beginning to seep into their reptile brains that their precious stock market wouldn’t fare so well in an outright rebellion. Expect endless shocked responses: “This isn’t what we meant!” But they know damned well that they were playing a game of chicken with history, supporting Trump’s sedition to the very last moment so they could keep their greedy snouts buried in the Swampville feeding trough as long as possible. Most of them probably did imagine they could stop things before they got out of hand. I guess now they’ll find out–at our expense, as usual–if they were right.
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Unable mentally to execute the duties of the job is just as disqualifying as being unable to do so physically. The Amendment even specifically mentions the President being able to write letters - which is more than is physically required to execute the office - and still being removed.
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Did you miss that foreign policy is also noncommittally calling this a coup attempt?
It hasn’t hit all of the conservative intellectuals that they are responsible for this. That a strong man to protect the faithful is what they have sold many of their audience.
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A coup d’état is the removal of an existing government from power vis illegal or unconstitutional means.
The 25th amendment is part of the constitution therefore legal.
I would prefer another Impeachment, it shouldn’t take long, a day at most. I prefer Impeachment because it puts the GOP on the spot.
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