Ex-CIA Director says the 25th Amendment was written with Donald Trump in mind
Former Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan yet again called for the removal of President Donald Trump from office, saying the 25th Amendment “was written with' him “in mind.” Speaking to MS Now on Saturday, Brennan joined dozens of Democrats who called for the removal of the president from office, after he issued threats of "wiping out a civilization" in the Middle-East if Tehran failed to open the Strait of Hormuz. The ex-CIA chief called the president's remarks "unhinged" and raised concerns over him being the commander-in-chief during such troubling times. The comments came shortly before the U.S.-Iran peace talks fell apart in Islamabad, Pakistan, after which Trump announced a complete naval blockade on Iran, including the critical crude oil shipping lane.
Brennan, who served as head of the spy agency during Barack Obama’s presidency, told MSNow that Trump's threats and his decision to put so many lives in danger by starting a war that nobody wanted were meritorious enough for his removal from the Oval Office. “I think the 25th Amendment was written with Donald Trump's in mind, because allowing someone like this to continue to be the commander-in-chief and to control the tremendous capabilities of the U.S. military, including our nuclear weapons capability, which he seemed to allude to when he said he’s going to just eliminate an entire civilization,” Brennan said. “Again, we really are in very, very troubling times,” he told the host Ali Velshi.
Following Trump's threats, over 70 Democrats in Congress called for his removal, with many pushing for the administration to invoke the 25th Amendment that allows the sitting president to be sidelined with the Vice President taking over. Democrats are also pushing Congress to pass a war powers resolution to limit Trump's ability to unilaterally launch military operations. The calls were put to simmer after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday, but Brennan continued to raise the alarm over the president and his party's conduct. “The fact that he’s able to do that, and members of his party and his MAGA base continue to explain and apologize for and rationalize what he’s doing, is just so, so troubling,” Brennan said.
While the chances of the Trump administration invoking the 25th Amendment are near zero, given the lock-tight loyalty, the situation in the Middle East took a turn for the worse after peace talks between Washington and Tehran fell apart. Vice President JD Vance and his entire cabinet flew to Islamabad to meet the Iranian delegation, but the marathon talks that extended overnight resulted in no deal being struck. As Vance announced he would be flying back empty-handed, on Sunday, Trump announced that the U.S. military would start blockading all ships looking to enter the Strait of Hormuz.
The move also drew criticism from Democrats, with many calling it a step toward resuming full-scale hostilities. Democratic senator from Virginia, Tim Kaine, told This Week that he would be pressing again for a war motion in the Senate this week to try to stop Trump from resuming the war. “Returning to full war will just compound the suffering of American troops and the American citizenry who are suffering under a devastated economy because of what Donald Trump has done,” Kaine said.
