Did Senator Corker Open The Door For Trump’s Exit?

By Rick Smith

October 13, 2017

Republican Senator Bob Corker is raising serious concerns about President Trump’s stability and mental balance to continue to serve as President. If Senator Corker was a Democrat warning about Trump’s disturbing behavior, it would be dismissed as purely partisan politics. If Senator Corker was alone in speaking publicly about Trump’s abnormal behavior, it might be dismissed as Corker’s frustration.

However, it’s not just Senator Corker going public with his concerns about Trump’s stability to govern. The increasing urgent alarms are coming from other Republicans, Trump’s former friends and perhaps most importantly, from Trump’s closest Whitehouse advisors.

There is a building perception that this President is becoming unhinged from reality. It feels like something has changed as the public’s anxiety about war with North Korea has heightened. The public’s fear of war seems to have been intensified as Senator Corker suggested Trump’s reckless threats has us “on the path to WWIII.”

“He concerns me, he would have to concern anyone who cares about our nation … It’s a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning,” he tweeted.

Corker specifically noted how Trump’s tweets have damaged America’s diplomatic efforts.

“I know he has hurt, in several instances, he’s hurt us as it relates to negotiations that were underway by tweeting things out,” Corker said.

A Vanity Fair reporter, Gabriel Sherman, quoted anonymous Whitehouse advisors this week saying they fear Trump is “unraveling.”

“I’ve spoken with a half dozen prominent Republicans and Trump advisers, and they all describe a White House in crisis as advisers struggle to contain a president that seems to be increasingly unfocused and consumed by dark moods.” Sherman quoted one staffer as saying, “You have no idea how much crazy stuff we kill.”

This week President Trump attacked freedom of the press, threatening to challenge and revoke networks’ licenses if he disagrees with what they broadcast. That got an immediate response from Nebraska Republican Senator Ben Sasse, implying that Trump’s threat to the First Amendment is a betrayal of his constitutional oath of office.

“Mr. President, words spoken by the president of the United States matter,” the Nebraska Republican said this week. “Are you tonight recanting the oath you took on Jan. 20 to preserve, protect and defend the First Amendment?”

Tom Barrack, Trump’s longtime billionaire friend and the chair of his inaugural committee, voiced his disappointment this week about Trump’s recent comments and tweets. Barrack said he was shocked and stunned by Trump’s rhetoric.

“I tell him all the time: I don’t like the rhetoric,” he said. Barrack admitted that Trump had to be loyal to his base but added, “But who is your base? You don’t have a natural base. Your base is the world and America, so you have all these constituencies; show them who you really are. In my opinion, he’s better than this.”

All this has led to growing talk about the possibility of implementing the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office. The 25th Amendment describes the process for the transition of power if the president is unable or unfit to serve.

Section 4 of the Amendment defines how only 14 people could remove the president. Vice President Pence and 13 of Trumps 24 Cabinet members would need to agree on removal. They would be required to send a written declaration to Congress that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. It would require a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress to officially uphold their declaration.

Using the 25th Amendment to remove the President would be messy and partisan unless there was a nearly unanimous agreement that the President had gone over the edge. The fact that it is even being discussed suggests Trump’s mental health is in serious doubt.

 

by Rick Smith
Posted 10/13/17

CATEGORIES: Uncategorized

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