When Representative Liz Cheney said at a House hearing on January 6 on On Thursday, as members of the Trump administration’s cabinet weighed in on whether to use the constitutional process to remove President Donald J. Trump from office after attack on Capitol by her supporters, she did not immediately provide details or evidence.
But as a federal government convulsions in in hours and days after deadly rebellion, and range of cabinet officials weighed their options and consulted one another about how strengthen administration and ensure peaceful transition to new presidency.
Mike Pompeo, secretary of state at the time, and Steven Mnuchin, then Treasury secretary, discussed the possibility of with reference to the 25th Amendment, which required vice president and majority of cabinet to agree that the president can no longer fulfill his duties begin difficult process of removal from office.
Their discussion was reported by Jonathan Karl. of ABC news in his book “Betrayal” and told the “New York Times” a man instructed on Discussion. Pompeo denied the exchange took placea mr mnuchin declined to comment.
Betsy DeVos, Mr Trump’s education secretary, told USA Today this week that she raised with Vice President Mike Pence Lee cabinet should consider the 25th Amendment. But Mr. Pence, she said,made this is very clear that he wasn’t going to go in what direction”.
She decided to resign. As did Matt Pottinger, Deputy national security advisor.
Evgeniy Scalia, then labor secretary, discussed with colleagues right after attack in need stabilize the administration, according to the three people habitual with conversations.
Mr. Scalia called Mr. Pence’s assistant, they said, to say he was uncomfortable. with Mr Trump functions without anything of examination on his in that moment and what should have been more cabinet participation. Mr Pence team not want make such move.
Mr Scalia also there was a conversation with Mr. Pompeo shared by Mr. Pompeo with several people, in which Mr. Scalia suggested that someone should talk to Mr Trump about need do something to restore confidence in in government and peaceful transition of power. Translated by Mr. Pompeo of this conversation disputed by others Mr Scalia also assumed that someone should talk to Mr Trump about resigning.
Mr Pompeo responded sarcastically by asking how Mr. Scalia imagined this conversation with Mr Trump will go.
Mr Scalia and Mr Pompeo via aide declined to comment.
Link of Ms. Cheney, Wyoming Republican and Vice Chair of The Jan. 6 House Committee on the 25th Amendment, pending cabinet members, was one of the brightest statements in in panel a two-hour hearing. in first of six planned public hearing, the commission presented a detailed case against Mr Trump and the rioters who stormed the Capitol and delayed congressional certification of Electoral college results.
Read more on House Committee Hearing on January 6
panel made it clear that this plans to use discussion of the 25th amendment to show not only the chaos that Mr. Trump set off helping spark a riot, but how small confidence those around him had in his ability be president.
“You will hear about the members of Trump Cabinet Discusses Possibility of invoking the 25th amendment and replacing the president of United States,” Ms. Cheney said as she read her opening statement at the hearing. “Several members of President Trump’s own cabinet resigned just after January 6th.”
Besides Ms. DeVos, transport secretary Elaine Chao is wife of Senator Mitch McConnell, leader of the Republican Party – also resigned.
At the hearing on Thursday Miss Cheney also argued that Republican legislators who was involved in helping Mr. Trump cancel the election, asked for forgiveness from the White House in in final days of administration. Committee plans to use petition for pardon as evidence of how those who helped Mr Trump regain consciousness of feeling guilty about what they did.
Ms. Cheney did not provide any evidence to support her claim and only named one MP, Representative Scott Perry, Republican of Pennsylvania, as a petitioner for clemency.
In an email, Jay Ostrich, press secretary for Mr. Perry called the claim “a laughable and soulless lie.”
Miss Cheney promised she would tell supporting evidence at an upcoming hearing, and a face familiar with The Committee of Inquiry stated that panel received testimony about petitions for clemency.
Mr. Perry agreed on a plan to replace the acting attorney. general, who resisted Mr. Trump’s attempts to investigate baseless reports of electoral fraud, with a more compatible official. Mr Perry also approved the idea of calling on Mr Trump’s supporters to march on Capitol on January 6.
Committee next a hearing is scheduled for Monday where panel plans lie out how Mr. Trump and his allies ignited the “Big Lie” that the election was stolen. Two more hearings scheduled for next a week – one on Wednesday about an attempt by the Ministry of Justice to remove the acting prosecutor general and another on Thursday about pressure campaign on Mr. Pence will block or delay certification of selective vote count.
Three former According to a letter sent to the committee, Justice Department representatives agreed to testify at Wednesday’s hearing. on Friday.
Three Witnesses – Jeffrey A. Rosen who was Acting Attorney General Richard P. Donoghue, Acting Associate Attorney General, and Stephen A. Engel, former head of office of Legal Counsel – all involved in tense meeting just until January 6 attack where Mr. Trump believed firing Mr. Rosen and the Loyalist Installation in his place.
Even before 6 Jan. government officials under Mr Trump have been debating the application of the 25th Amendment.
spring of 2017, after Mr. Trump fired James B. Comey, FBI director Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, appalled by Mr. Trump’s treatment of dismissal increased the likelihood of invoking the 25th amendment in meeting with senior Department of Justice and FBI representatives.
Acting FBI director Andrew J. McCabe launched a counterintelligence investigation into Trump’s ties to Russia and pushed for Rosenstein to appoint special counsel. Mr. Rosenstein agreed that Mr. Trump possible ties with Russia should be investigated, but said that if the investigation uncovers disturbing evidence of Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia, the only remedy would be to apply the 25th Amendment.
Mr. Rosenstein then said that he had made the calculations and believed that there were at least six cabinet officials who will go together with referring to him, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly. Although the opportunity arose, the idea came to nothing, and Mr. Rosenstein appointed Robert S. Muller III special counsel.
In the following years, there were several disclosures about other who discussed the possibility of with reference to the amendment. In 2019 Anonymous Administration book official said that senior White House officials thought Mr. Pence would agree with referring to the amendment to expel Mr. Trump. Mr. Pence denied this claim.
BUT veteran A CBS News producer named Ira Rosen wrote in his 2021 book about his work in in news business what Stephen K. Bannon, White House chief strategist until August 2017, said with him about the 25th amendment.
& Mark T. Esper, Mr. Trump final Senate approved defense secretary wrote in his recent book, The Sacred Oath, about aftermath of incident in which Mr. Trump delivered a diatribe against in military during the meeting with Joint Chiefs of Staff of Employees in in second half of his term.
“Months later, one of the officers present told me in telephone call that he went home deep that evening concerned about what he saw in his commander in boss,” Mr. Esper said without naming the person. in question.
” next morning he said in in a very sober tone, he began to read up on 25th amendment and role of closet as a check on president,” Mr. Esper said. “He wanted to understand “what the cabinet needed to consider” and what the process was.”
Mr Esper said that in his own view Mr. Trump behavior never climbed standard required for with reference to the 25th Amendment. But that was before the post-election period, when Mr. Esper was fired by Mr. Trump.
Two days after the Capitol riots, Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke with General Mark A. Milley, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“It’s bad who knows what he can do? Ms. Pelosi said, according to the book Peril by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. “He’s crazy. You know he is crazy. he was crazy for for a long time. So don’t say you’re not know what is his condition of there is a mind.”
“Madam Speaker,” General Milley replied, “I agree with you on all.”
Luke Broadwater as well as Kathy Banner made a report.
