Dems file long-shot 25th Amendment bill targeting Trump
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Rep. Jamie Raskin outside the U.S. Capitol on March 25. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
House Democrats on Tuesday unveiled legislation that would create a commission to assess whether the 25th Amendment should be invoked to remove President Trump from office.
Why it matters: The bill is a long shot — Republicans control Congress, and Trump could simply veto it — but it has dozens of Democratic co-sponsors, as lawmakers warm to the idea of using drastic measures to oust Trump.
- More than 85 House and Senate Democrats called for Trump to either be impeached or removed through the 25th Amendment last week after he threatened that a "whole civilization will die tonight" in a post on Iran.
Driving the news: House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) introduced the 10-page bill, which would establish a 17-member commission authorized by Section 4 of the 25th Amendment.
- The section says either the vice president and the Cabinet or "such other body as Congress may by law provide" can send a declaration to Congress declaring the president unfit for office. This would be that other body.
- The commission would "carry out a medical examination of the President to determine whether the President is mentally or physically unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office," the bill says.
- The bill has 50 Democratic co-sponsors.
Zoom in: The Senate majority and minority leaders, the House speaker and the House minority leader would each appoint two members to the commission.
- The commission would also include four former "high-ranking executive branch officials" — specifically vice presidents, secretaries of State, Defense and Treasury, attorneys general, and surgeons general — appointed by Democrats and another four appointed by Republicans.
- Those 16 commissioners would then vote to appoint another person — either another high-ranking former official or a physician — to serve as chair.
- The panel's findings would have the power to temporarily remove the president from office only if the vice president signed off on them.
What they're saying: "The Constitution explicitly vests Congress with the authority to create a body that will guarantee the successful continuity of government by responding to presidential incapacity to discharge the powers and duties of office," Raskin said in a statement.
- "We have a solemn duty to play our defined role under the 25th Amendment by setting up this body to act alongside the Vice President and the Cabinet."
- "Public trust in Donald Trump's ability to meet the duties of his office has dropped to unprecedented lows as he threatens to destroy entire civilizations," he added.
The other side: "Lightweight Jamie Raskin is a stupid person's idea of a smart person," said White House spokesperson Davis Ingle.
- "President Trump's sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the past four years when Democrats like Raskin intentionally covered up Joe Biden's serious mental and physical decline from the American people."
Reality check: Even in the unlikely event the bill passed, removing Trump would still be a long shot.
- Vice President Vance — a Trump loyalist — would have to sign off on the commission's findings and remove the president temporarily.
- After 21 days, Congress would have to vote to approve Trump's permanent removal with two-thirds majorities in both chambers.
