U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin have discussed invoking the 25th Amendment of the U.S. constitution to impeach outgoing President Donald Trump, CNBC reported, citing sources.
On Thursday, U.S House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for Trump’s removal from the office by invoking the 25th Amendment for inciting violence at protests on Capitol Hill the day before.
This procedure requires the involvement of the vice president and most cabinet members.
According to CNBC, citing three sources, Pompeo and Mnuchin have discussed the matter with their respective agencies and came to the conclusion that the process would take longer than Trump is supposed to remain in the office before Joe Biden is sworn in, so no immediate effect should be expected.
“The general plan now is to let the clock run out,” the broadcaster quoted a former senior administration official aware of the discussions as saying.
“There will be a reckoning for this president, but it doesn’t need to happen in the next 13 days.”
Additionally, it is not clear whether the secretaries in an acting capacity would be let cast a vote in the process, it was reportedly pointed out at the exploratory talks.
According to the report, Pompeo and Mnuchin also had concerns that forcing Trump from office now could make him a hero of the far-right, doing more long-term harm than short-term good.
The 25th Amendment allows for a temporary or permanent transfer of power from the U.S. president to vice president if the majority of cabinet members certify to the congress that the president is unable to perform his duties.
