In early 2001, just 67 days after he took office, former Vice President Dick Cheney said his health problems compelled him to submit a letter of resignation.
“Basically, what I did was I resigned the vice presidency effective March 28, 2001,” Cheney told Sanjay Gupta during a segment on “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday.
“So nearly, for your entire time as vice president, there was a letter of resignation sitting there,” Gupta said.
“Pending,” Cheney replied.
Cheney said he handed in his resignation letter after discovering there is no provision in the Constitution to replace a vice president who is alive but incapacitated. He said former President George W. Bush was a “little surprised” but “he thought it was a good idea.”
Cheney, promoting a book he wrote with his cardiologist that details his history of heart problems, also revealed in the interview that he had his defibrillator’s wireless function turned off in 2007 to prevent terrorists from sending a fatal shock.
