With 12 days left in President Trump’s term, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday she spoke to the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman about precautions that could be taken to prevent “an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a strike.”
A spokesperson for Joint Chiefs chair Mark Milley confirmed the call happened, and said he answered her questions about the process of nuclear command authority.
Pelosi’s words came amid growing calls for Mr. Trump to be removed from office, and after Mr. Trump said in a tweet he will not attend President-elect Joe Biden’s January 20 inauguration.
In a letter to her Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said she was “grateful” to members of the party for communicating to her what they thought should happen next. On Thursday, she had called for Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Mr. Trump.
The House could take up articles of impeachment against the president as early as next week, if Mr. Trump’s Cabinet and Pence don’t act to remove him from office, according to Democratic leaders. House Democrats are holding a call Friday afternoon to discuss impeachment.
In a video released Thursday evening, after Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and at least one Republican called on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Mr. Trump, the president acknowledged a new administration would take over on January 20.
“My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power,” the president said in a video, which he tweeted. “This moment calls for healing and reconciliation.”
President Trump says he will not attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in two weeks. He made the announcement in a tweet Friday, as lawmakers consider ways to remove the president from office after a violent mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol Wednesday.
The House could take up articles of impeachment against the president as early as next week, if Mr. Trump’s Cabinet and Vice President Mike Pence don’t act to remove him from office, according to Democratic leaders. House Democrats are holding a call Friday afternoon to discuss impeachment.
In a video released Thursday evening, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and at least one Republican called on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Mr. Trump, the president acknowledged a new administration would take over on January 20.
“My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power,” the president said in a video, which he tweeted. “This moment calls for healing and reconciliation.”
