DOJ investigating U.S. attorney pressured to resign during Trump’s attempt to overturn Georgia votes

Posted on by Mark Sumner

On Dec. 30, Donald Trump called on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to resign after the fellow Republican refused to intervene to overturn the outcome of elections in that state. On Jan. 2, Donald Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and tried to pressure him into multiple violations of election law, followed by a series of threats about what would happen if Raffensperger didn’t “find” enough votes to hand the state to Trump. In that called to the Republican secretary, Trump mentioned a “never-Trumper U.S. attorney” in Georgia, and hinted to Raffensperger that he would be charged criminally once this never-Trumper was sent packing.

The next day, U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak submitted his resignation. Pak, who was nominated to his position by Trump, handed over a resignation letter full of the standard theme of “gratitude.” Coming in the same week that a Trump-inspired insurgency assaulted the Capitol in an effort to overturn the election—and at the same time Trump was making a number of last-minute appointments and changes—Pak’s resignation didn’t draw the same amount of attention that it might have generated in a non-coup week.

But now The Washington Post reports the Justice Department inspector general is looking into why Pak resigned when he did. Because it seems extremely likely that Kemp and Raffensperger weren’t the only ones who got a call from Trump.

If Trump called on Pak to resign out of the blue, that’s odd, but it’s far from illegal. After all, as the prolonged example of Geoffrey Berman demonstrated last June, U.S. attorneys, like most appointed members of the executive branch, can be dismissed without need to give cause. 

However, the fact that Trump referred to a  “never-Trumper U.S. attorney” in his call to Raffensperger absolutely suggests that either he, or some other member of the White House staff, had already tried to pressure Pak into taking some unspecified action to interfere with Georgia’s election. Something that was illegal, or simply wrong enough, for Pak to refuse.

The Post’s sources indicate that Pak received a call from a senior official in the Department of Justice that “led him to believe he should resign.” But since Trump was already angry at the entire Justice Department for failing to support his laughable attempts to alter the outcome of the election in court, it’s unclear just what made Pak feel that he had to step out of the way—especially when his term was almost certain to be up in just two weeks.

In any case, with Pak’s departure, Trump immediately backfilled by expanding the territory of South District of Georgia prosecutor Bobby Christine. That was also a red flag as the job should have passed to Pak’s deputy. However, Christine doesn’t seem to have made any overt moves to support Trump’s efforts to overturn the choice of Georgia voters.

As with so many stories coming from Trump’s final months, it may take some time to understand exactly what Trump did in his efforts to sink democracy. But it’s okay to go ahead with the impeachment trial before all this information is understood.

Trump can always be indicted later.

Trump attorney who ‘burrowed’ into critical job at last minute is placed on administrative leave

Posted on (Updated by Mark Sumner

Donald Trump may have never admitted that he lost—bigly—but he sure spent his last months in office acting like a loser. That wasn’t just a matter of Trump completely checking out of his already inadequate governance, or drumming up support for an insurrection. It also included a firestorm of ripping out even marginally competent officials and making last-minute Trumpist substitutions. In particular, Trump got genuinely busy right after the election in replacing top Pentagon and national security officials. Some of those new officials seem to have been involved with the slow, inadequate response to the Jan. 6 insurrection. 

Even after the failed coup, the deck chairs kept moving on the Trumptanic. Less than 24 hours before Trump made the nation genuinely grateful by leaving Washington for good, Trump loyalist Michael Ellis was sworn in as the top attorney for the National Security Agency (NSA). This is a slot that’s supposed to be a nonpolitical civil service position awarded to the best qualified applicant. The push to seat Ellis in this post raised immediately generated calls for a review by an inspector general. But Trump’s team pushed around those calls to seat Ellis and keep him working until the last minute.

That minute is up. President Biden has placed Ellis on administrative leave. Now everyone wants to know just what he did in his less than two days on the job.

Ellis was not a newcomer to the Trump White House. He was originally a White House attorney before Trump handed him the role of senior director for intelligence on the National Security Council in March 2020. As Kerry Eleveld reported at that time, Ellis was considered a “Trump loyalist” who had no experience in intelligence. He was already known as someone who had slipped classified information to Rep. Devin Nunes and for requesting that transcript of Trump’s Ukrainian call be moved to a more secure server. His move to the NSC came shortly after Republicans handed Trump a free pass on his first impeachment—an impeachment that included key witnesses from the NSC who testified to Trump’s attempted blackmail of the Ukrainian president. 

Even though Ellis was already in the NSC and there were only days to go, The New York Times reports that former Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller scrambled to move Ellis into place over objections. Among other things, Ellis’ appointment seems to be a clear violation of rules against “burrowing,” in which political appointees are assigned supposedly competitive civil service positions that normally carry on between administrations. Insiders have also said that Ellis was given the job over several more experienced attorneys who scored higher and had applied for the position. Why the rush? Well, for one thing, the top attorney has almost total control over that classified server where the transcripts from the Ukraine conversation and other classified conversations are stored. 

For the moment, Ellis has been ordered to the sidelines. The Biden White House put Ellis on administrative leave Wednesday evening.

However, if the investigation fails to show that seating Ellis violated regulations, the protections provided to civil service jobs could well see him returning. Which doesn’t mean he would once again be in charge of such critical areas. He may get to stay, but he can definitely be reassigned.

CIVIQS poll shows most Republicans are now Trump supporters first, party supporters … not at all

Posted on (Updated by Mark Sumner

In 2016, Donald Trump infamously said that he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue without losing the support of his fanatical followers. That still appears to be pretty much true as, after refusing to acknowledge the results of a free election, splitting his own party, presiding over the loss of the Senate, and instigating a deadly, violent assault on the Capitol in a bid to interfere with counting electoral votes, the latest CIVIQS results still show Trump holding onto 43% support. 

In fact, if anyone has suffered from Trump’s actions it’s every other Republican official. It doesn’t even seem to matter to what degree they supported Trump in his efforts to topple the elected government. Kevin McCarthy? Way down. Mitch McConnell? Down to a hilarious 11% favorable rating. But the biggest loser may be Mike Pence, who has seen his support among Republicans plummet, putting him at a 33% favorable rating.

All of this can be explained simply enough: Republicans no longer think of themselves as Republicans. By a two to one margin, those who voted for Trump say they consider themselves “a Trump supporter,” not “a Republican.”

The way that these voters attach to Trump rather than anyone else can be seen in another value in the poll. When asked if they believed the election was “stolen,” a jaw-dropping 40% of Americans still said yes, over a week after the assault on the Capitol. But when asked if Republicans who voted against certifying the vote were “protecting democracy,” only 37% agreed. Even when Republicans were doing exactly what Trump asked them to do, they still got lower marks than Trump himself.

There was an interesting split on views of the actual insurgency. Asked if the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol represented “a coup attempt,” 53% of Americans agreed—within a point of those in the poll who said they did not vote for Trump. However, when asked if the attack was “an act of terrorism,” the number rose to 60%. That number indicates that even some of those who voted for Trump were upset over the the sight of a mob prowling the halls of Congress. That number was apparently confirmed by the 62% who agreed that everyone who broke into the Capitol building should be arrested. And still, the guy who instigated the attack is polling far higher than other Republicans.

Finally, a plurality of voters want to see both Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley kicked out of the Senate. In Hawley’s case, that includes at least some voters who went for Trump.

Everything in the poll seems to indicate that Trump voters remain Trump voters, not Republican voters. If there remains a core of non-Trump Republicans, they are vanishingly small. As the GOP tries to separate itself from the angry guy leaving the room, it’s completely unclear how many of those Trump voters are ready to come back into their ranks without Big Orange at the lead. With a 11% favorable rating for McConnell, and a 20% rating for McCarthy … just who is the leader of the Republican Party going into 2021? 

One possible side effect of this deep schism in the Republican Party is that it may make it easier for McConnell and other Republicans to support Trump’s impeachment. To coin a phrase: What do you have to lose?

The first political ads of the next cycle are already here … and Republicans aren’t happy

Posted on by Mark Sumner

Having made it past November, and even past the Jan. 5 runoff in Georgia, it may seem like the airwaves and signboards near you would finally be free of political ads. However … that’s not quite true. While the idea that ads are already showing up for the 2022 election cycle might even be enough to generate howls, there’s a reason that these ads should be welcomed. Because these ads are all about holding Republicans accountable for what they’ve done over the last four years.

That starts with ads that are going on the air in Wisconsin to detail the explicit connection between Sen. Ron Johnson and the violent attempt to overthrow the government. Voters to the south might not be catching those ads, but they could still run across a Josh Hawley billboard from MeidasTouch. It’s all just part of the move to clear the halls of Congress … of the people who promoted a violent attack on the halls of Congress.

During Wednesday night’s impeachment hearing, newly seated St. Louis Rep. Cori Bush took down white supremacy in 30 seconds flat. Just a day before, she filed a resolution calling for the expulsion of 100 or more House Republicans who didn’t just vote against certifying the results of the Electoral College, but promoted the idea that the election had been “stolen”—the big lie that drove rioters into the Capitol on Jan. 6.

It’s unlikely that House members will garner the necessary votes to discharge a quarter of their members. However, if the investigation into members who actively assisted in planning the insurrection turns up definitive evidence, there is a very good chance that some members might not just be expelled, but indicted.

On the Senate side, both Hawley and Ted Cruz are likely to survive their support for overturning the outcome of the election, even with Hawley continuing to signal his support for that effort in the hours immediately after the Senate had been forced to flee for their lives. However, it’s very likely voters are going to get plenty of reminders about which senator was giving terrorists a raised fist salute on that terrible day.

However, as The New York Times reports, Wisconsin voters don’t need to wait to see the lines between Johnson and the insurgency traced. A television ad from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin hit the air Wednesday morning. It signals the start of a solid week in which Johnson will be pounded on both television and social media for his role in spreading lies about the 2020 election. 

Johnson—who has always topped the chart of senators most likely to be Russian assets—initiated and promoted lies about the election both before and after the votes were counted. And he added one more lie, because after telling voters that he was going to self-limit to two terms in the Senate, he might just decide to stay in the Senate so he can block legislation from the Democratic House. That would put Johnson up for his next term in 2022, and also turns him into a big target for Democrats seeking to dislodge a Trump-Putin fan from a state Joe Biden won.

The ad pulls no punches. It features pictures of the mob swarming over the Capitol while recalling a stinging editorial in the Milwaukee Journal that goes after several members of the Senate’s “sedition caucus,” including both Johnson and Hawley. That editorial calls on Johnson to resign immediately rather than waiting 21 months for Wisconsin voters to send him packing.

Johnson is unlikely to quit. Neither are the ads.

Jan. 6 was far from the first insurrection Trump supported, and it’s unclear if it was the last

Posted on by Mark Sumner

Right now—and this is a real thing—Donald Trump has lost the Secretaries of Transportation, Health and Human Services, Education, the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, and whatever the heck role Mick Mulvaney held And really, that’s just the tip of the milky white iceberg of milky white people who made the tough moral decision that 3.95 years of inciting violence, instilling racism, and driving divisiveness was simply all they could take. I mean, 3.94 years? Sure. But they always expected that Trump would become presidential before he stopped being that thing. Everyone has their limits, and for a lot of Trump’s associates, those limits seem to be symbolically stepping back at the very last possible second out of a powerful delusion that this will somehow purify them in time for their next six-, seven-, or eight-figure position.

Then, as happens in serious democracies, this run of camels who finally discovered their last straw, led to Trump spending a good part of his week talking over strategy with the MyPillow Guy. Mr. Pillow came to the White House clutching a sheaf of papers that cleverly pointed out Trump could use the insurrection he incited to declare that people were being insurrectiony. Then he could invoke the Insurrection Act. Then, once Trump had installed himself as president for life and turned the CIA and FBI into the KGB and Stasi, respectively, Trump could just declare martial law and shoot them. Really. That was the plan. Plus you get 80% off a full body pillow using the code #CrossTheRubicon.

Admittedly, there’s no truth behind the discount code. I think. But since the pillows are nothing but cloth bags of shredded foam that probably cost Mike Lindell a nickel apiece to manufacture, feel free to give it a try.

In any case, the major point here isn’t that the pillows are demonstrably smarter and more patriotic than the guy who peddles them. It’s that Trump is so devoid of anything that looks like a serious adviser, he really did spend hours in the White House going over a plan to take America along the same path blazed by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, and Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, and, of course, Adolf. At the direction of the MyPillow Guy.

All of this is extraordinarily sad. But not for Donald Trump. It’s sad for everyone who isn’t Trump.

As The New York Times reports, everything that has happened with Trump, was exactly what had to happen with Trump.

The siege of the Capitol wasn’t a departure for Trump, it was an apotheosis. For years, he’s been telling us he wouldn’t accept an election loss. For years, he’s been urging his followers to violence, refusing to condemn their violence, and insinuating that even greater violence was on the way. As he told Breitbart in 2019, in one of his characteristic threats, “I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad.”

And what do you know, Trump was right. It was very bad.

The Times also points out that Trump didn’t start cheering on mobs overrunning capitols on Jan. 6. That was really more of an endpoint. Trump started off by cheering on crowds who tore through multiple state capitols over social distancing guidelines, or rumors that someone might restrict 100-shot magazines for their AR-15s, or threats to statues dedicated to racist mass-murderers and traitors. In every case, Trump praised the militias, the white supremacists, and the hoarse-throated mob. 

What happened in D. C. on Jan. 6 was just a national version of what happened in Wisconsin, in Colorado, and in Kentucky, and in a dozen other states. Trump not only encouraged these events, he even refused to say there was anything wrong with a plot to kidnap and publicly execute Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Speaking of which, here’s Trump from the rally that came right before his people swarmed up the Capitol steps, smashed through doors and windows, and went prowling the halls of Congress with handcuffs. “We’ve got to get rid of the weak congresspeople,” said Trump, “the ones that aren’t any good, the Liz Cheneys of the world, we got to get rid of them … Because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong.”

Gee. Where did people get the idea that he wanted them to kidnap, try, and execute members of Congress? Right from Trump. (Bonus: Note why Liz Cheney was so willing to sign on to impeachment).

What happened on Jan. 6 was shocking, but it should not have been surprising to anyone. Trump has been calling for this moment since he came down that gold elevator. He’s not just overlooked violence, but encouraged it. He’s made it clear, at every speech and every rally, that beating people up is okay. That violence is good. That executions are fine. In fact, he has complained that there was not enough violence and brutality to suit him in this wimpy modern world. He didn’t just license his followers to smash the police in the face with “thin blue line” flags, he made it inevitable.

Trump is who he has always been. His followers are doing as he has always wanted. None of this was a secret. For the last four years, all of the Republican Party and half of the media has pretended they could not see that Trump was simply a fascist, doing what fascists always do—offering violence and calling it order. 

Don’t expect them to start admitting it now.

The last days of Trump: Abandoned, detested, and as angry as always

Posted on by Mark Sumner

On Thursday, the major activity at the White House seemed to be staff members escaping with photographs and statues that very likely were not theirs to take. Inside, many offices are described as empty, due to all those staffers who suddenly began getting concerned that continuing to associate with a twice-impeached instigator of an insurrection might not be good for their resume.

Meanwhile, somewhere inside the maze of empty offices, Donald Trump still lurks, his fingers twitching to send out tweets forever out of reach, his fevered brow unmopped by an absent Hope Hicks, his bellows of impotent rage echoing sweetly, sweetly through the corridors. And if there is one thing that’s getting Trump extra ragey in these final days before he’s escorted from the property, it is any comparison between himself and one Richard M. Nixon. 

Especially because the thing that keeps coming up is the one thing that Nixon did right for the nation—resign.

As CNN reports, Trump is spending his days in a tweetless, rally-less, and apparently friendless circle of accusations, impeachment, and plunging poll numbers. As he gets ready to head out the door to the lowest ratings since there have been ratings, the one thing that Trump has made absolutely clear is that he’s not going to emulate the one thing that Nixon did that benefited both the nation and himself. That’s not to say the idea wasn’t discussed by staffers and Cabinet members. It was. However, Trump shot down any possibility that he might depart without being kicked out. So much so that now any mention of the the 37th president has been completely banned.

Trump probably doesn’t want to be reminded that not only did Nixon recognize a losing proposition and walk away before getting impeached, he also managed to keep his popularity high enough to grab a second term before his actions related to Watergate brought everything crashing down. Meanwhile, the same Pew poll shows that the major motivation for many voters in 2020 was the chance to get rid of Trump. A majority felt that Trump had bumbled the response to the coronavirus, and an even larger majority want Trump to simply go away and never be a major figure in U.S. politics again.

Right now, Trump can look out his window and see bunting and signs for "2021 Biden-Harris Inauguration" from stands that have been erected across from the White House. Inside the White House, his sources of comfort are few. Not only has Hicks departed, but Trump is on the outs with Rudy Giuliani and infinitely mad at wingman Mike Pence. It’s hard to find a single White House staffer who hasn’t earned Trump’s scorn over the past few weeks by slipping up and admitting the reality—he lost, and his time is almost up.

Aides have tried to cheer Trump up by asking him to give one last address to the nation, one in which he could list all those accomplishments like giving a massive tax break to billionaires, building 30 miles of wall through a national monument that disrupted irreplaceable cultural sites, killing off 400,000 Americans, and triggering the first invasion of the Capitol since 1814. But even this list of incredible achievements has failed to stir Trump into getting out his Sharpie and jotting down a few last-minute lies. 

Instead, Trump is demanding a big sendoff. However, staff are having to work hard to collect enough warm bodies to make it appear that anyone still cares. There’s also the little fact that if Trump waits until the inauguration to depart, he’ll not only be flying on a plane that is no longer Air Force One, but will have to ask Biden’s permission to borrow his jet. Trump hates all of that.

With most of Trump’s Cabinet already departed—some due to last-minute resignations—it will surprise exactly no one if Trump decides to head for Mar-a-Lago while he still doesn’t have to ask someone else for the keys to the plane.

Trump is sorry … that he didn’t do more to support the violent mob of insurrectionists

Posted on by Mark Sumner

Democrats in the House have now gathered over 140 names on new articles of impeachment against Donald Trump that will be introduced on Monday. If all goes well, they’ll be voted on the same day. At the same time, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer continue to press Mike Pence to act using the 25th Amendment. However, as more Cabinet members resign and Pence huddles in silence, the odds of that happening seem ever smaller. 

Meanwhile, the Twitterless Trump is casting about for one last desperate act. In addition to Trump, Twitter has been hacking down accounts that have suggested another, even more violent, assault on the capital on Jan. 17 or Jan. 20. Over on Parler, they’ve very definitely not been taking down any efforts to organize an attack on either those dates or Jan. 19. And if there’s one thing that Trump has made clear to his remaining staff, it’s that he’s sorry. Not sorry about arranging and inciting a violent assault on the nation. But sorry that he ever ever told the insurgents to leave the Capitol building.

Trump was ecstatic to see his supporters shoving through barriers, overwhelming an unprepared police force, and taking the Capitol by storm. As the insurrectionists prowled through the halls of Congress in hopes of turning legislators into hostages, and Trump supporters cast down the American flag to raise his own banner, Trump strolled around the White House in excitement. The fact that other people weren’t seeing this as a good thing completely baffled him. It was, after all, exactly what Trump had been wanting for years. 

As The New York Times reports, after a stunned nation recoiled in disgust, and Joe Biden came out to demand that Trump end this rampage by his followers, Trump did take to Twitter to deliver a brief statement—one in which he told the insurrectionists they were “very special” and assured them “I love you.” Even so, Trump did include a statement that the violent criminals who were even then smearing human excrement along the halls of Congress should “go home in peace.”

It’s that last part that Trump regrets.  The part where he told them to leave, and gave some hint that he would allow an orderly transition—though without naming Biden or including the word “peaceful.”

At the end of a week in which his followers attempted a violent overthrow of the American government, the only thing that Trump regrets is that it didn’t work. And that after planning it, bringing in every white supremacist he could find, and shoving them toward Congress, he didn’t do more to cheer for their victory.

Support is growing for Pence to invoke 25th Amendment and remove Donald Trump from office—now

Posted on (Updated by Mark Sumner

Impeachment, removal, indictment, prosecution, imprisonment: that should be the order of Donald Trump’s future. The problem is that at the moment Trump has his hand on the nearly unlimited power of the White House, which includes a military he might use to strike at anyone—with or without justification. Considering that Trump went through the day expressing his “love” for insurrectionists, telling them they were “very special,” and encouraging them to remember what a fun day they had attempting to overthrow the American government, it’s clear that Trump can’t be allowed to remain in power. Not even for a day.

That absolute truth is generating a growing call for Mike Pence and members of Trump’s Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment, contact Congressional leaders, and remove Trump from power. Immediately.

And it appears those calls are being heard. Because word out of the White House is that Cabinet members are considering exactly that.

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 3:14:42 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

Senate smacks down Trump supporters' challenge to his election loss in Arizona 6-93 Hawley, Hyde-Smith, Marshall, Tuberville, Cruz, Kennedy supported

— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) January 7, 2021

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 4:13:49 AM +00:00 · Joan McCarter

121 House Republicans supported the insurrection, and voted to throw out Arizona’s presidential election. Including Republican leadership. 303 member voted no.

McCarthy @GOPLeader has voted in favor of the Arizona objection as has number two GOP @SteveScalise

— Erik Wasson (@elwasson) January 7, 2021

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 4:55:12 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

For the first time in history we have a President who should be impeached twice but because of the time constraints and inaction of Senate Republicans, I urge the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment now.

— Rep. Sharice Davids (@RepDavids) January 7, 2021

In light of today’s events, the calls for declaring Donald Trump incapable of performing his duties have been widespread.

Members of Congress 

Newspapers

Organizations

There is some suggestion that Pence might convene the Cabinet following tonight’s session. But the sources for that, like those saying that the Cabinet is already considering the 25th Amendment, are frustratingly anonymous. 

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 2:36:23 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

NEW: All the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee just wrote a letter to Vice President Pence, urging him to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump: pic.twitter.com/6VrcHI5hMr

— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) January 7, 2021

As Democrats gather support for second impeachment, more voices call for invoking 25th Amendment

Posted on (Updated by Mark Sumner

Impeachment and removal from office is what Donald Trump deserves. Of course, it was what Trump deserved a year ago when Republicans gave him a free ride through the Senate. Several of those—including Mitch McConnell—making loud noises today, were key to making sure that Trump sailed through without even having to face a single witness in a trial where they knew he was guilty. 

Rep. Cori Bush has already drawn up new articles of impeachment based on Trump’s support for the insurrection taking place on Wednesday. Over a dozen other Democratic members of Congress have already signed on. However, it’s unclear how quickly action could be taken to both impeach Trump a second time and remove him from power. And that’s assuming Republicans do something they haven’t done in decades: place nation ahead of party. But others are calling for a Trump to be removed through other means. It begins with Mike Pence transmitting to both Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and, for the moment at least, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. That letter would express that Trump is no longer able to carry out the duties of his office under the 25th Amendment.

And there are some people who believe that action is already underway.

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 12:58:40 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

The President incited an insurrection in the U.S. Capitol today. The 25th amendment should be invoked, and he should be removed from office. What we witnessed in Washington today was an assault on the citadel of democracy.

— Rep. Richard Neal (@RepRichardNeal) January 7, 2021

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 1:16:41 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

It is too dangerous to have him as president over the next two weeks before an inauguration. He cannot be trusted with the sacred honor the American People gave him. I hope the 25th Amendment is put into action or an immediate bipartisan impeachment.

— Congressman Tim Ryan (@RepTimRyan) January 7, 2021

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 1:30:03 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

More information showing why it’s vital that the 25th Amendment be invoked. Trump was perfectly willing to allow the Capitol to remain under siege rather than taking action to help. 

NEW: Trump initially rebuffed and resisted requests to mobilize the National Guard, according to a person with knowledge of the vents. It required intervention from White House officials to get it done, according to the person with knowledge of the events.

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 7, 2021

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 1:31:02 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

The @sfchronicle Editorial Board: "He should be removed from office immediately, whether through resignation, impeachment or the 25th Amendment’s prescription for dealing with a president unfit to serve."https://t.co/M6yiHpjSpt

— Marc Rumminger (@mentalmasala) January 7, 2021

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 1:35:44 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

From the Washington Post Editorial Board: Trump caused the assault on the Capitol. He must be removed. https://t.co/ZPHJGvmdTP pic.twitter.com/T9wqtBwJBx

— Washington Post Opinions (@PostOpinions) January 7, 2021

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 1:54:42 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Trump can NOT remain in office any longer.

— US Rep Kathy Castor (@USRepKCastor) January 7, 2021

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 1:58:01 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

I am calling on Vice President Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th amendment and protect our country. Enough is enough.

— Rep. Sylvia Garcia (@RepSylviaGarcia) January 7, 2021

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 1:58:23 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

CBS News reports members of the Cabinet are considering the 25h Amendment: pic.twitter.com/fN47wXj0G7

— The Recount (@therecount) January 7, 2021

Calls for the application of the 25th Amendment aren’t new when it comes to Trump. His 26,000+ documented lies, his frequent lapses into lengthy conspiracy theories, and his refusal to admit an error even when it’s obvious have made Trump’s ability to carry out any reasonable action long open to challenge. But in the light of what happened on Wednesday, with Trump both encouraging an invasion of the U.S. Capitol, and then reassuring the insurrectionists that they are “very special” and he “loves” them, the idea of moving Trump out immediately through this action has reached a new level.

Conservative organizations like the National Association of Manufacturers have called for Pence to remove Trump by invoking the 25th Amendment. So have members of Congress and former officials. 

But it goes beyond people calling for the 25th Amendment. Several people have wondered if that amendment has already been invoked. When the National Guard was finally authorized to come to D. C. and assist in regaining control of the Capitol building and surrounding area, it wasn’t Trump’s name on the order. It was Pence.

That has surprised a number of people, and led to some serious speculation. So have the statements about Pence that seem to be coming in from a number of Republicans.

Again, this seems like 25A may have already been triggered. https://t.co/BJSEfJxByn

— Dr. emptywheel (@emptywheel) January 6, 2021

Considering the frightening video that Trump put out on Wednesday afternoon, and the equally disturbing tweet he issued an hour later, this certainly seems justifiable. And it seems like even some of his staunchest Republican supporters might be finding that sticking with Trump is becoming more difficult.

I asked @RepAnnWagner today whether @realDonaldTrump should resign or whether @Mike_Pence should invoke the 25th Amendment. Here's her response: pic.twitter.com/hNtILUQenF

— Jason Rosenbaum (@jrosenbaum) January 6, 2021

If Pence has taken action … good. But that’s no reason to halt the efforts at impeachment. There is absolutely no law that says both actions can’t go be in the works at the same time.

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 12:01:55 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

.@Acosta: "I will tell you, Jake, I talked to a source, a GOP source close to the president who speaks with him regularly, and I take no pleasure in reporting this, but this source tells me that he believes the president is out of his mind." pic.twitter.com/Ld7r2hLnSH

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 6, 2021

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 12:05:38 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

The president has had not one word of criticism for the domestic terrorists who stormed the US Capitol today, who left a pipe bomb outside the RNC. Not one word.

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 6, 2021

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 12:22:23 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

Tonight, I am asking Vice President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and begin the process of removing President Trump from office.

— Rep. Lucy McBath (@RepLucyMcBath) January 7, 2021

Thursday, Jan 7, 2021 · 12:24:53 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

This makes it sound like Pence has taken over, but without invoking the amendment. 

More evidence that the Vice President is carrying out the duties of the presidency to secure the Capitol and more.👇 From Vice President Mike Pence’s office: pic.twitter.com/DtXkHvgzNK

— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) January 7, 2021

Donald Trump speaks to insurrectionists occupying Capitol: ‘I love you. You’re very special’

Posted on by Mark Sumner

For more than two hours, the nation’s capital has been under siege. Police have been injured, a woman has been shot, at least one improvised explosive device has been found. Both chambers of Congress have invaded by a mob of armed insurrectionists intent on overthrowing the elected government, congressional offices are being ransacked, and both the Senate and House have been evacuated along with several other federal buildings. All of this came after Donald Trump told his supporters he was going to march with them “up Pennsylvania Avenue” to the Capitol, where they would “cheer” for Republicans opposing the counting of the Electoral College vote.

But Trump didn’t march. He didn’t walk so much as a block. Instead, he got back into his car and returned to the White House. As a result, many of his supporters were convinced that Trump was still physically with them, even when the assault on the Capitol building began. Even as his supporters shoved over barriers, smashed through windows, broke open doors, and injured police to occupy the Capitol and threaten both legislators and their staffs. In those hours, Trump has issued only two milquetoast tweets, neither of which called on the terrorists who came to Washington, D.C. at his invitation to halt their invasion. Trump hasn’t just failed to issue a call to end this attempted insurrection, he has refused.

Wednesday, Jan 6, 2021 · 9:43:02 PM +00:00 · kos

Losing the U.S. Capitol during a key electoral procedure to a modestly-sized crowd from a publicly-announced event is not a "failure." It was a decision. They were ordered to not do what they normally would've done. We need a full accounting of every single official involved. https://t.co/YiuqCicEJ0

— Max Kennerly (@MaxKennerly) January 6, 2021

Wednesday, Jan 6, 2021 · 9:46:05 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

I am drawing up Articles of Impeachment. Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate. We can’t allow him to remain in office, it’s a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath.

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 6, 2021

Wednesday, Jan 6, 2021 · 9:48:20 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner

CNN: National Association of Manufacturers, the nation's largest manufacturing association, called on Vice President Mike Pence Wednesday to consider working to remove President Trump from office.

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) January 6, 2021

Multiple sources have reported that several people inside the White House, including Mike Pence, have called on Trump to issue a stronger statement to his followers. However, Trump is said to be angry at Pence for failing to overturn the election results … so he’s holding the whole nation hostage to his pout.

Pence has issued his own statement saying that “those involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” However, that also remains to be seen. Having gathered his followers together under the promise of a “wild” time; having spent months inflaming them with lies about a stolen election; and having spent years teaching his followers to disregard every other source … there is every reason to expect that, far from prosecuting the terrorists, Trump will issue a blanket pardon.

At 4 PM EST, President-elect Joe Biden issued a statement in which he said: “This is not protest. It is insurrection.” He called on Trump to go on national television and end this attempted overthrow of the nation.

Fifteen minutes later, Trump issued a statement to the terrorists saying: “I love you. You’re very special. I know how you feel.” In the video, Trump continued to insist that the election was stolen and he won in a landslide.

Trump did say for terrorists to “go home in peace.” That’s one hell of a lot different from “prosecuted the fullest extent of the law.”

pic.twitter.com/Pm2PKV0Fp3

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021