WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told lawmakers late Sunday that they would first vote on a resolution this week calling on Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet to remove President Donald Trump from office before moving to impeachment.
Pelosi made the announcement in letter late Sunday to colleagues.
“This resolution calls on the Vice President to convene and mobilize the Cabinet to activate the 25th Amendment to declare the President incapable of executing the duties of his office, after which the Vice President would immediately exercise powers as acting President,” Pelosi said in a statement.
The full text of the resolution can be found here.
The House is set to vote on Monday or Tuesday on a resolution urging Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which allows him and the cabinet to remove the president if he is unable to discharge his official duties, Pelosi said.
After that, Pence and the Cabinet would have 24 hours to act before the House would move toward impeachment.
In her statement late Friday, Pelosi also mentioned including legislation introduced in October by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD). It would establish a “Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of Office.”
“The legislation will enable Congress to ensure effective and uninterrupted leadership in the highest office in the Executive Branch of government by creating the body and process called for in Section 4 of the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” according to a statement from Raskin’s office.
Essentially, Congress never setup the body the 25th Amendment called for when it was adopted 50 years ago.
“In emergency situations, Congress could pass a concurrent resolution requiring the Commission to examine the President, determine his/her ability to execute the powers and duties of the office, and report its findings to Congress. If presidential incapacity exists, the Vice President would immediately assume the role of Acting President,” Raskin’s office said.
The legislation calls for a 17-person commission:
- Four physicians and four psychiatrists selected by the Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader and Senate Minority Leader each.
- Four retired statespersons (e.g., former Presidents, Vice Presidents, Attorneys and Surgeons General, Secretaries of State, Defense, and Treasury) to serve, selected by the Democratic and Republican leaders of each chamber.
- A 17th member, who acts as the Chair of the Commission.
“In order to avoid conflicts of interest and both civilian and military chain of command issues, none of the members can be current elected officials, federal employees, or members of the active or reserve military,” Raskin’s office said.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
