House Republicans on Thursday blocked Democrats from introducing a resolution to stop the Iran war, but party liberals are planning a more decisive way to end the conflict: removing President Trump from office under the 25th Amendment.
Democrats plan to meet in a virtual briefing on Friday to discuss “Trump administration accountability and the 25th Amendment,” according to an invite issued this week by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The New York Democrat told MS NOW’S left-leaning “Morning Joe” talk show, “I don’t think he’s stable,” referring to Mr. Trump. Mr. Jeffries said the entire Democratic Caucus will be briefed on “different accountability mechanisms available to us, or I should say, available to the country, including but not limited to the 25th Amendment.”
The 25th Amendment includes a never-invoked provision that would remove the president from office if the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet deem him incapacitated. The power of the presidency would be transferred to the vice president.
The Washington Times reached out to the White House for a reaction.
Democrats are ramping up their calls to end Mr. Trump’s presidency as the Iran war continues and a tentative ceasefire is under threat of collapse.
Democrats point to Mr. Trump’s Easter weekend posts, in which he threatened “a whole civilization will die” if the Iranians failed to negotiate a ceasefire by Tuesday night. The threat was called off after the Iranians agreed to a tentative deal.
Democrats are also weighing impeachment, which they voted for twice in 2019 and 2021.
The party is just a few votes shy of taking the majority, and political analysts say they are favored to win back the House gavel and possibly control of the Senate in November.
Mr. Jeffries said he has not “ruled out” a third impeachment of Mr. Trump and boasted the party has “successfully run out of town” former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Mr. Jeffries said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom he said is unqualified, “is next, and we are going to keep our foot on the gas pedal to push this guy out.”
Democrats on Thursday were cut off on the House floor when they tried to bring up a resolution that would require Mr. Trump to seek authorization from Congress for continued military action in Iran.
Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican who was acting as speaker pro tempore, slammed the gavel down and cut off the microphones before Democrats could bring up the measure.
“The pro forma speaker ignored us, which was a tragedy, but we will keep fighting with that,” Rep. Don Beyer, Virginia Democrat, said.
Mr. Beyer was among a small group of liberal Democrats who gathered on the Capitol steps following the brief pro-forma session. They described Mr. Trump as a madman who must be stopped and said they need only a couple of Democrats to pass the war authorization measure.
“These are not normal times, America,” said Rep. Madeleine Dean, a Pennsylvania Democrat who served as a manager during one of Mr. Trump’s prior impeachments. “When will my Republican colleagues stand up in the House, in the Senate, the vice president, the Cabinet secretaries who surround this madman?”
Democrats also tried to have Mr. Trump removed from office under the 25th Amendment years ago.
When they took control of the House in January 2021, they passed a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to assume the power of the presidency.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, Maryland Democrat, introduced the resolution and said Mr. Trump had shown he was incapable of carrying out the duties of the presidency, including defending democracy, following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
The resolution went nowhere, and Mr. Trump served out his remaining few days in office.
