“I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration”
“The dilemma — which he does not fully grasp — is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations. I would know. I am one of them.”
I don’t think the 25th Amendment is a workable option, for much the same reason I think impeachment wouldn’t work. The Vice-President, together with a majority of the cabinet, can declare the President “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office” and the president would be removed from office (at least temporarily). I think getting a majority might be possible. But the president can tell Congress he is able to discharge his duties and then 2/3 of each house of Congress would have to vote, within 21 days, he is incapacitated or he resumes his office. In other words, if 1/3 + 1 members of either the House or Senate vote in Trump’s favor he is back in office.
Based on what we know now, I don’t see 18 GOP senators voting to remove Trump after impeachment. I see even less chance of enough GOP Reps voting to sustain 25th Amendment removal. Trying to remove Trump via the 25th Amendment and failing would be an unmitigated disaster because at the very least he’d fire everyone who voted to remove him (except Pence who can’t be fired, only impeached). If you are going to try to kill the king, you had better kill the king. Just for the record, I know Trump is not a king, but the analogy holds.
Agree 100%
What they are describing is the exact situation for which the 25th Amendment was created.
The fact that they fail to execute it fully demonstrates the craven cynicality of the Republican Party. They know that Trump is a dangerous imbecile and lunatic, but they’re willing to put the country at risk to get what they want, then later claim they were
working behind the scenes to “protect” us.
The most telling line in the piece is this:
“But we believe our first duty is to this country, and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic.”
In actuality, their actions show that, without question, their CHOSEN duty is to their party. In actual fact, if what this person is claiming is true, we have an active coup in force, if not in fact.
I don’t agree with hardly *anything* that 45 does but my opinion does nothing to affect the constitutional fact that he is the duly elected President with all the powers granted by the constitution. Those powers do not exclude acting like a petulant child; sane precedent has seen to that, until now.
His cabinet is filled almost entirely with craven, sycophantic grifters seeking to benefit themselves or their benefactors (before or after their appointment) while they “serve.” The 25th Amendment, therefore, doesn’t apply as the likelihood of a majority is, practically, non-existent.
The sad part, not just for me but for the country, is that this is *truly* what the fourth section of the 25th was written for. We could demonstrate to the world that we are the healthiest representative democracy on earth, capable of an adversarial, but peaceful transfer of power when conditions warrant. Instead? We demonstrate that we will do anything to maintain our personal level of comfort, status, and wealth.
Well, I would say this about anyone making this type of claim – whether you work for Trump or you worked for Obama or Bush or Bill Clinton; If you are actively working against your boss, then you are part of the Swamp and you need to go.
This the the main problem with today’s Washington DC… people who think that it is perfectly OK to accept pay from the taxpayers to do a specific job and then turn around and kick those same taxpayers in the ass while doing what you want to do rather than what you are supposed to do.
Do the country a favor and kill yourself and hopefully you have not polluted the gene pool yet!
Read the article. It’s not what you think. He is mostly on Trump’s side. He, and others, simply work to alleviate trump’s more self destructive and dictatorial impulses.
They support the President’s agenda in general, but they keep him from doing the crazy stuff he decides on the spur of the moment, like bombing random places in Syria, or making Mexicans wear their underwear on the outside.
Captain Obvious: Well Get the fuck outta here and go suck some cheeto and pretend that it’s Donnie’s dick