The DOJ Considered Using The 25th Amendment To Remove Trump, Report Says
At this point, it's no secret that President Donald Trump doesn't necessarily have the best relationship with his former government officials. However, this new development might be the most dramatic yet. According to reports, the Department of Justice (DOJ) considered using the 25th Amendment to remove Trump, which is wild to say the least. Another day, another drama.
On Thursday, Feb. 14, former Deputy Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe shared a piece in The Atlantic discussing his time working for Trump, particularly after Trump had disclosed the news to him that he had fired former Director James Comey (McCabe's boss). Needless to say, this tell-all politics piece was juicy from the beginning, but it was his 60 Minutes interview with Scott Pelley, snippets of which were released the same day, that caught everyone's attention. According to McCabe, DOJ officials considered using the 25th Amendment in order to remove President Trump from office. The amendment, which also clarifies the succession to the presidency, allows the vice-president and cabinet members to actually remove the president from office if he can't fulfill his presidential duties for whatever reason (usually death or illness). Elite Daily reached out to the White House and Department of Justice for comment about McCabe's interview, but did not hear back in time for publication, but in a statement to 60 Minutes, the White House said McCabe was not credible.
"There were meetings at the Justice Department at which it was discussed whether the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet could be brought together to remove the president of the United States under the 25th Amendment," McCabe said in the interview. The meetings apparently came during the time after Trump fired Comey in May 2017 in a surprise move, ostensibly for how he handled the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's email scandal.
McCabe described the time. "These were the eight days from Comey's firing to the point that Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel," he said. "And the highest levels of American law enforcement were trying to figure out what do with the president." McCabe also said that as acting FBI Director, his priority was making sure that the ongoing investigation into possible collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia could not be swept under the rug. Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to lead the investigation on May 17, 2017.
In a statement shared with 60 Minutes, the White House disputed McCabe's credibility and called the investigation into possible obstruction of justice by Trump, which McCabe started, "baseless." The statement said,
Andrew McCabe was fired in total disgrace from the FBI because he lied to investigators on multiple occasions, including under oath. His selfish and destructive agenda drove him to open a completely baseless investigation into the President. His actions were so shameful that he was referred to federal prosecutors. Andrew McCabe has no credibility and is an embarrassment to the men and women of the FBI and our great country.
McCabe took over the role as FBI director following Comey's firing, and served in that position from May 2, 2017 to Aug. 2, 2017. His appearance on 60 Minutes is in anticipation of his upcoming book The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump, which is set to be released on Feb. 19.
This can't be good news for Trump, who is already dealing with Mueller's investigation into whether the Trump campaign actively colluded with Russian operatives during the 2016 presidential election. While the investigation has been going on for over a year, rumor has it that Mueller might be releasing his report in the very near future. As of now, there's no official date to when the report would be released, but on Jan. 28 Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said at a press conference that the probe is "close to being completed." Of course, even if the report is released, there's a strong chance that it won't be available to the public. However, just the thought of this political saga coming to a close is almost too much to handle. Elite Daily reached out to the special counsel's office for comment at the time, but did not hear back.
Just when we thought that Trump had enough on his plate to handle, now he has to face this. While McCabe may no longer be working for him, who knows what the Department of Justice is thinking. If I were Trump, I'd be on my best behavior.
McCabe's full 60 Minutes interview will air on Feb. 17. I know I'll be keeping an eye out.
