Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) is expected to introduce a resolution to condemn House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) after the Democratic lawmaker announced the creation of a “Commission on President Capacity.”
Pelosi, along with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), unveiled a bill for the creation of the panel on Friday during a press conference. The panel is “the body and process called for in the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to enable Congress to help ensure effective and uninterrupted leadership in the highest office in the Executive branch of government,” Pelosi’s press release reads. The panel could rule on a president’s physical and mental fitness for office.
The 25th Amendment “provides the procedures for replacing the president or vice president in the event of death, removal, resignation, or incapacitation,” as the Cornell Law School writes.
Loeffler pushed back, saying in a statement that Pelosi’s announcement is “her latest scheme to attack President Donald J. Trump. From the day President Trump was sworn in, Nancy Pelosi has tried to overturn the results of the 2016 election,” according to The Hill.
The senator added:
“From the Russia collusion hoax to the sham impeachment and now the 25th Amendment farce, Nancy Pelosi has disgraced the office of Speaker in a desperate attempt to rig the system and seize power. If she is still serious about holding office, she should put a mask on, hit the salon and respect the election results when Donald Trump is re-elected for four more years.”
The Republican senator’s resolution that she will introduce suggests Pelosi “has failed to put forward a just cause for invoking the 25th Amendment,” as The Hill reports. It also accuses House Democrats of trying to “delegitimize” the presidency of President Donald Trump.
Additionally, Loeffler’s resolution claims Pelosi is setting a “dangerous precedent for the constitutional system of Government in the United States.” She is accusing Pelosi of “politicizing the 25th Amendment.”
Pelosi and Raskin’s move follows after Raskin unveiled similar legislation in 2017 and said at the time, “For the security of our people and the safety of the Republic, we need to set up the ‘body’ called for in the 25th Amendment.”
“The president can fire his entire Cabinet for asking the same question tens of millions of Americans are asking at their dinner tables, but he cannot fire Congress or the expert body we set up under the Constitution,” Raskin added.
Pelosi said during Friday’s press conference, “This is not about President Trump. He will face the judgment of the voters, but he shows the need for us to create a process for future presidents.”
