Pelosi unveils 25th Amendment bid, questions Trump's fitness

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled legislation Friday that would allow Congress to intervene under 25th Amendment to Constitution to remove president, insisting it's t about President Donald Trump but inspired by need for greater congressional oversight of his White House.

Pelosi has been raising questions about Trump's mental fitness since his COVID-19 diagsis and demanding more transparency about his health. bill would set up a commission to assess president's ability to lead country and ensure a continuity of government. It comes one year after Pelosi's House launched impeachment proceedings against Trump.

“This is t about President Donald Trump — he will face judgment of voters,” Pelosi said at a press conference at Capitol.

Just weeks before v. 3 election, with hopes of bill becoming law, rollout was quickly dismissed as a stunt by Trump's team and top allies.

“It's an absurd proposal," said White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Fox.

"Absolutely absurd,” said Senate Majority Leader McConnell during an appearance in Shepherdsville, Kentucky.

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.

Pelosi said Trump needs to disclose more about his health after his COVID-19 diagsis and when, exactly, he first contracted COVID. More than 210,000 Americans have died and millions more have tested positive for virus, which shows signs of abating heading into what public health experts warn will be a difficult flu season and winter.

legislation that would create a commission as outlined under 25th Amendment, which was passed by Congress and ratified in 1967 as a 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.

“Let Congress exert power Constitution gave us,” Pelosi said Friday standing before a poster of amendment.

Pelosi was joined by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a constitutional scholar, who has proposed similar bills in past.

“In times of chaos we must hold fast to our Constitution,” he said Friday.

Raskin said commission would be launched “only for most extreme situations.”

But, as Congress showed by impeaching — and acquitting president over past year — legislative branch is determined to exert itself at times as a check on executive branch.

“Congress has a role to play,” Raskin said.

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, 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.