In the wake of an explosive New York Times anonymous op-ed, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling on President Donald Trump’s Cabinet to invoke the Constitution’s 25th Amendment and remove him from office.
On Wednesday the Times published an op-ed titled “I am part of the resistance inside the Trump administration.” The piece, written by an unnamed senior official at the White House, claimed the President was “amoral,” “anti-democratic” and that much of senior officials’ job is to work against the President’s agenda. One of the most shocking claims in the piece was that, at one point, members of his cabinet reportedly considered invoking the 25th Amendment but decided against it to avoid a “constitutional crisis.”
The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, is meant to be a failsafe to handle when a President is unable to fulfill the duties of the office for reasons besides injury or death. According to the Constitution, under the Amendment, if the Vice President and a majority of “principle officers” agree that the President is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.”
The Times op-ed has shocked many and confirmed suspicions for some that Trump is unfit to lead. Senator Warren, for one, came out on Thursday to push for the President’s cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment if they actually believe that Trump is unable to adequately fulfill the responsibilities of his office. She shared on social media and her website a call for the Cabinet to use the Amendment if it saw fit.
“Every minute they make excuses is a minute that our country is at risk.” Warren said.
“If senior officials believe the president is unfit, they should stop hiding behind anonymous op-eds and leaking information to Bob Woodward boasting that they’re trying to save our country, and instead do what the Constitution demands they do: invoke the 25th Amendment and remove this president from office.” Warren posted on her website.
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Write to Gina Martinez at gina.martinez@time.com