Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin reportedly held informal discussions with staffers on having President Donald Trump removed from office through the 25th Amendment after he instigated a violent insurrection by his supporters at the Capitol on Wednesday, according to CNBC.
However, the top Trump officials ultimately decided against invoking the constitutional provision reportedly due to concerns of angering the President’s base and that there wouldn’t be much time to carry out the proceedings before he has to leave office on January 20 anyway.
A formal official who was familiar with the discussions told CNBC that “the general plan now is to let the clock run out.”
“There will be a reckoning for this president, but it doesn’t need to happen in the next 13 days,” the person said.
Pompeo’s reported discussions on removing Trump strike a particularly ironic note given how he had initially helped the President try to delegitimize the 2020 election and claimed there would be “a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.”
Democrats have been pressuring Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment ever since Trump inspired his supporters to attack and take over the Capitol building on Wednesday.
During a press conference on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) warned of a potential second impeachment for Trump if Pence and Cabinet secretaries refuse to have the President removed.
“If the vice president and the Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment that is the overwhelming sentiment of my caucus and the American people,” Pelosi said.
I’m sure this was ‘leaked’ so these two look like ‘rational actors’. Pompeo is an opportunist who uses ANYTHING (Christianity, Trump, no-Trump) to puff himself up and Mnuchin? I don’t know. He seems so hapless but maybe it’s all a front.
I’m guessing the discussion went something like this:
POMPEO: I’m not going to vote for the 25th.
MNUCHIN: Neither am I. Btw, fuck democracy.
POMPEO: Agreed. I so want to put my face into a bag of cheeseburgers.
MNUCHIN: Go for it, ma dude!
Heard a snippet of Junior from some podium loudly proclaiming the Republican Party would now be known as the Donald Trump Party. Essentially said there were no longer “Republicans” as the Right was now just “Trumpers”.
That arrow was so far off it even missed the hay bale holding the target.
Everything that is wrong with the GOP right here. When the fuck does it need to happen then? They are all cowards.
Pompeo does the wrong thing when he needs to step up? Check.
Mnuchin doesn’t do enough when he needs to step up? Check.
Administration “adults” just hope it all goes away? Check.
It all checks out.