George Washington University professor Jonathan Turley said Thursday that it is “extremely unlikely,” though possible, that President Donald Trump will be removed from office via the 25th Amendment.
“Well, it can happen. It’s just extremely unlikely,” Turley told “Fox & Friends.”
“Keep in mind that the act has a four day period where the president can then object. They then renew essentially that disability claim and they get four more days and there is a vote in Congress. So there is an eight day period folded into this that is sort of a process period.” (RELATED: Mitt Romney: Instead Of Taking ‘Victory Lap’ On Vaccine, Trump Is Pushing ‘Nutty And Loopy’ Conspiracy Theories)
“So you’re talking about running this to the very end and effectively removing him within a couple of days of his leaving office, four or five days before he is leaving office,” Turley continued, adding that this action would be contingent upon Trump actually being unable to do his job.
There have been calls to impeach Trump after rioters stormed the Capitol building Wednesday, bringing violence and chaos to the Electoral College vote certification proceedings. Former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, suggested Trump was to blame for the riots by encouraging his supporters to reject the results of the 2020 presidential election. Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney claimed Trump “lit the flame” of the riot.
Section 4 of the 25th Amendment empowers the vice president along with a majority of those in the cabinet to remove a president from office if he or she is judged to be incapable of fulfilling presidential duties.
But Turley warned that the 25th Amendment should not be invoked lightly. “You have to be very careful with this. When you start to remove presidents that you perceive have a mental disability, it’s a standard that can easily be abused.”
The Constitutional scholar said the criticism abounding around Trump concerns “constitutional faults, not character faults,” and he noted that “it’s very dangerous if you start to say, ‘Well, I just view him as unstable,’ unless you have got very strong grounds.” (RELATED: Joe Scarborough Wonders Why 25th Amendment Exists If It’s Not Being Used To Remove Trump)
President Donald Trump arrives at a Republican National Committee Victory Rally at Dalton Regional Airport Jan. 4, 2021 in Dalton, Georgia. President Trump campaigned for the two incumbents, Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), for tomorrow’s runoff elections in Georgia. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
CBS News has reported that the issue of removing Trump through the 25th Amendment was discussed by some members of the president’s cabinet.
Turley also said Thursday that Wednesday’s Electoral College certification could have been used as “moment of unity” and it should never have been seen as “an invitation to riot.”