Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) said on Monday that he is introducing a resolution calling for the removal of Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as house speaker, citing concerns about her mental fitness.
Collins alleged erratic behavior and unconstitutional actions on Pelosi’s part.
“On Oct. 31, 2019, Speaker Nancy Pelosi oversaw the first party-line vote to begin an impeachment inquiry into a president in the history of our country,” the resolution states.
After the House of Representatives voted last December to impeach Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, the Senate acquitted the president in February.
Pelosi’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Collins’s initiative.
According to the Constitution, Section 4 of the 25th Amendment allows Congress to create a body to declare whether a president is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
Raskin said that the “25th Amendment was adopted 50 years ago, but Congress has never set up the body it calls for to determine presidential fitness in the event of physical or psychological incapacity,” while adding, “Now is the time to do it.”
Pelosi, speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill on Friday, said Trump’s CCP virus infection has raised questions about presidential succession but denied the legislation was specifically aimed at him.
“This is not about President Trump. He will face the judgment of the voters, but he shows the need for us to create a process for future presidents,” Pelosi told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference.
“Throughout America’s history, our leaders have created and strengthened guardrails in the Constitution to ensure stability and continuity of government in times of crisis,” she said.
“This legislation applies to future presidents, but we are reminded of the necessity of action by the health of the current president,” she added.
Republicans have called the Democrat-led bill a publicity stunt ahead of the November election, with Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) criticizing Pelosi for “weaponization of the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution in an attempt to attack President Donald J. Trump.”
“From the Russia collusion hoax to the sham impeachment and now the 25th Amendment farce, Nancy Pelosi has disgraced the office of speaker in a desperate attempt to rig the system and seize power. If she is still serious about holding office, she should put a mask on, hit the salon, and respect the election results when Donald Trump is reelected for 4 more years,” Loeffler added.
The move to create the commission, along with Pelosi’s comments, represents an escalation in Democrats’ rhetoric that the 25th Amendment needs to be involved because Trump is incapable of leading. The long-shot move, which would likely fail in the Republican-controlled Senate, may also serve to raise doubts about Trump’s leadership with just weeks to go before the presidential election.