Jamie Raskin introduces bill to assess Trump's fitness under 25th Amendment

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) introduced legislation Tuesday to establish an independent commission to assess President Donald Trump's fitness for office, invoking Article 4 of the 25th Amendment. The move follows growing concern among Democratic lawmakers over President Trump's recent statements and social media activity, including an expletive-laden post and another threatening to wipe out a civilization.

If the legislation passes, which remains unlikely, the bill would create a non-partisan body to evaluate the President’s physical, mental, and cognitive well-being. Under the 25th Amendment, such a body would be a counterpart to the Cabinet, working with the Vice President. The body would have the authority to declare the President "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office." 

As per a House Committee press release, the non-partisan body would be called The Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of Office. If passed, the body would comprise 17 members, selected through a bipartisan process. As per the bill, the Speaker of the House, the House Minority Leader, the Senate Majority Leader, and the Senate Minority Leader will choose four retired statespersons.

These statespersons must be from the executive branch of the government, meaning they can be former Presidents, Vice Presidents, Attorneys General, Surgeons General, Secretaries of State, Defense, and Treasury. A 17th member, who will serve as the Chair of the Commission, will be chosen by the other 16 members. It is important to note that no currently elected officials, members of the military, or federal employees would be allowed to be a part of the body due to conflicts of interest.

"Public trust in Donald Trump's ability to meet the duties of his office has dropped to unprecedented lows," Raskin said, citing the President's recent rhetoric regarding the Middle East, his insults directed at the Pope, and social media posts "likening himself to Jesus Christ." "We are at a dangerous precipice," Raskin added. "It is now a matter of national security for Congress to fulfill its responsibilities under the 25th Amendment to protect the American people from an increasingly volatile and unstable situation."

The White House strongly criticized the legislation, with spokesperson Davis Ingle dismissing it in a statement to Newsweek. "Lightweight Jamie Raskin is a stupid person's idea of a smart person," Ingle said. He also defended the President's fitness, saying, "President Trump's sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration when Democrats like Raskin intentionally covered up Joe Biden's serious mental and physical decline from the American people."