Congresswoman calls for President Donald Trump's removal under 25th Amendment

ByReggie Aqui KGO logo
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Bay Area congresswoman calls for Trump's removal using 25th Amendment
A Bay Area member of Congress says it's time to kick President Trump out of office by using a very rarely used constitutional amendment.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A Bay Area member of Congress says it's time to kick President Donald Trump out of office by using a very rarely used constitutional amendment.

Congresswoman Jackie Speier took to Twitter on Tuesday saying, "POTUS is showing signs of erratic behavior and mental instability that place the country in grave danger. Time to invoke the 25th amendment."

She sent this message after the president gave his unexpected news conference about the violence in Charlottesville. It's important to realize no president has ever been removed from office by the 25th Amendment because of mental incapacity.

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In fact, the amendment was created after former President John F. Kennedy was assassinated to provide a clear path of what would happen if a president and or vice president couldn't perform their duties. It's been used when former President Reagan and former President George W. Bush went into surgery.

Could it be used like Speier is suggesting?

It would face major obstacles: The amendment doesn't specifically mention mental incapacity. Plus, who determines the test of what is and what isn't mentally incapable? And would Congress be able to get the required two-thirds vote?

Another member of Congress suggested a similar route to take Trump out of office earlier this summer, and so far, it hasn't gone anywhere.

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