In 25th Amendment bid, Pelosi mulls Trump's fitness to serve

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is questioning President Donald Trump's fitness to serve, anuncing legislation Thursday that would create a commission to allow Congress to intervene under 25th Amendment to Constitution and remove president from executive duties.

Just weeks before v. 3 election, Pelosi said Trump needs to disclose more about his health after his COVID-19 diagsis. She ted Trump's “strange tweet” halting talks on a new coronavirus aid pack — he subsequently tried to reverse course — and said Americans need to kw when, exactly, he first contracted COVID as ors in White House became infected. On Friday, she plans to roll out legislation that would launch commission for review.

“ public needs to kw health condition of president,” Pelosi said, later invoking 25th Amendment, which allows a president's cabinet or Congress to intervene when a president is unable to conduct duties of office.

Trump responded swiftly via Twitter.

“Crazy Nancy is one who should be under observation. y don’t call her Crazy for thing!” president said.

president's opponents have discussed invoking 25th Amendment for some time, but are raising it w, so close to Election Day, as campaigns are fast turning into a referendum on Trump’s handling of coronavirus pandemic. More than 210,000 Americans have died and millions more infected by virus that shows signs of abating heading into what public health experts warn will be a difficult flu season and winter.

Trump says he “feels great” after being hospitalized and is back at work in White House. But his doctors have given mixed signals about his diagsis and treatment. Trump plans to resume campaigning soon.

Congress is t in legislative session, and so any serious consideration of measure, let alone votes in House or Senate, is unlikely. But bill serves as a political tool to stoke questions about Trump's health as his own White House is hit by an outbreak infecting top aides, staff and visitors, including senators.

In a stunning admission, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that he had stopped going to White House two months ago because he disagreed with its coronavirus protocols. His last visit was Aug. 6.

“My impression was ir approach to how to handle this was different from mine and what I insisted we do in Senate, which is to wear a mask and practice social distancing,” McConnell said at a campaign stop in rrn Kentucky for his own reelection.

On Friday, Pelosi along with Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a constitutional law professor, plan to roll out legislation that would create a commission as outlined under 25th Amendment, which was passed by Congress and ratified in 1967 as way to ensure a continuity of power in aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

It says vice president and a majority of principal officers of executive departments “or of such or body as Congress” may by law provide a declaration to Congress that president “is unable to discharge powers and duties of his office.” At that point, vice president would immediately assume powers of acting president.

Trump abruptly halted talks this week on new COVID aid pack, sending ecomy reeling, his GOP allies scrambling and leaving millions of Americans without additional support. n he immediately reversed course and tried to kickstart talks.

It all came in a head-spinning series of tweets and comments days after he returned to White House after his hospitalization with COVID-19.

First, Trump told Republican leaders in Congress on Tuesday to quit negotiating on an aid pack. By Wednesday he was trying to bring everyone back to table for his priority items — including $1,200 stimulus checks for almost all adult Americans.

Pelosi said Thursday that Democrats are “still at table" and her office resumed conversations with top negotiator Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

She said she told Mnuchin she was willing to consider a measure to prop up airline industry, which is facing widespread layoffs. But that aid, she said, must go alongside broader legislation that includes kind of COVID testing, tracing and health practices that Democrats say are needed as part of a national strategy to “crush virus.”

rmally, high stakes and splintered politics ahead of an election could provide grounds for a robust pack. But with or Republicans refusing to spend more money, it appears relief will be coming with Americans already beginning early voting.

Democrats have made it clear y will t do a piecemeal approach until Trump administration signs off on a broader, comprehensive plan y are proposing for virus testing, tracing and or actions to stop its spread. y have scaled back a $3 trillion measure to a $2.2 trillion proposal. White House presented a $1.6 trillion counter offer. Talks were ongoing when Trump shut m down.

“re’s question that proximity to election has made this much more challenging,” McConnell said.

This story has t been edited by www.republicworld.com and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.