Early reports, unconfirmed, suggested that President Donald Trump’s Cabinet members may be considering invoking the 25th Amendment to render him unfit to remain in the presidency.
The rumors in the aftermath of an attack on the US Capitol by protestors, believed largely to be Trump supporters, and only two weeks before Democrat Joe Biden is poised to be inaugurated president following a highly suspect election.
It was previously reported that Vice President Mike Pence had bypassed Trump to dispatch the National Guard. However, those rumors were denied by the administration.
Original story below:
Acting Defense Secretary Christopher C. Miller and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said that they activated the National Guard without President Donald Trump‘s approval, an egregious Constitutional violation.
“Chairman Milley and I just spoke separately with the Vice President and with Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Senator Schumer and Representative Hoyer about the situation at the U.S. Capitol,” Miller and Milley said in a statement. “We have fully activated the D.C. National Guard to assist federal and local law enforcement as they work to peacefully address the situation.”
As commander-in-chief, Trump has Constitutional authority to activate the D.C. National Guard.
“We are prepared to provide additional support as necessary and appropriate as requested by local authorities,” they said. “Our people are sworn to defend the constitution and our democratic form of government and they will act accordingly.”
The statement echoes those that the CIA, State Department, and military industrial complex make regarding color revolutions in foreign nations.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump activated the National Guard.
The New York Times reported that Pence gave the order to deploy the National Guard.
The Justice Department released a statement about sending troops as well, without mention of the president.
“Earlier this afternoon, the Department of Justice sent hundreds of federal law enforcement officers and agents from the FBI, ATF, and the U.S. Marshals Service to assist the Capitol Police in addressing this unacceptable situation, and we intend to enforce the laws of our land,” Acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen said in a statement.
These statements led some to consider whether Pence and the Cabinet invoked the 25th Amendment to initiate a coup to remove Trump from office.
Trump has given us no choice. The 25th Amendment must be invoked NOW. We need to immediately wrest control of the country from him. He is not the commander of chief of the US. He is commander of chief of the Trump mob & proud boys. @VP Pence must step up & defend our democracy.
— Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) January 6, 2021
CNN reporter Jim Acosta said a source close to the president told him Trump is “out of his mind” and must be removed.
This is literally the standard for the 25th Amendment https://t.co/Kwh5RPU797
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) January 7, 2021
