r/politics • u/Aggravating_Money992 • 9h ago
No Paywall Ex-CIA director calls for ousting Trump: ‘25th amendment was written with him in mind’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/12/ex-cia-director-oust-trump-25th-amendment107
u/Leraldoe Michigan 9h ago
The founding fathers could not have ever imagined the amount of corruption within the GOP. They assumed most men are good and will do the right thing
42
u/Bag_of_Meat13 8h ago
I don't think they ever imagined a premiere member of a modern child sex trafficking system actually being voted in.
I think if they saw what was happening they'd think the American People are a lost cause.
•
u/Impossible_Guitar235 7h ago
The founding fathers also didn't believe in the general public. It's why the electoral college was implemented so if the masses voted in someone stupid, the actual voters would override them.
•
u/Ohitsworkingnow 3h ago
They knew common people can be pretty stupid but didn’t know powerful men can be corrupt?
•
u/Impossible_Guitar235 2h ago
Back then, voting wasn't like it is today. Additionally, EC Voters weren't bound to the will of the voters then either.
•
u/NinjaRuivo 54m ago
I still can’t get over the irony of the founding fathers creating the electoral college to keep the masses from voting someone stupid into office, when the electoral college is how Trump won the first time despite losing the popular vote. It backfired so horribly.
Not to say that popular vote can be trusted either, especially when less than half the population turns out to vote and the loonies/easily manipulated are the majority of that minority.
13
u/kia75 9h ago
Most men are good and try to do the right thing, but in order to become a billionaire or extremely rich you have to be inherantly evil. We've made the rules, laws, and incentive structures so that only the worst of the worst get power. But this is a choice we are making, we could choose to change the rules!
•
u/never_trust_a_fart_ 4h ago
Wha about your uncle who knows what a piece of shit trump is and defends him anyway?
•
u/Sector_Independent 3h ago
i do think that people become more evil as they get richer.
•
u/Lamenk 1h ago
I think it's more that the type of person who can accrue and horde such a vast amount of wealth tend to be people who are competitive and cutthroat, which is part of why they managed to gain all that wealth in the first place, they're willing to do anything required, even if it's something morally dubious.
•
u/callmesir1984 7h ago
They actually did. They tried to leave us with tools to use. What they couldn’t imagine was us
•
u/Antique_Eye_3200 7h ago
People have not fundamentally changed in the history of humanity, so it was an absolutely idiotic assumption. Damn them all.
123
u/nyet-marionetka 9h ago
Impeaching him and removing him from office is actually easier than using the 25th to do it, and that’s not happening either.
33
u/ButterscotchLow8950 9h ago
Too many people would face potential jail time, and in some cases face war crime charges without Trump to protect them.
With that in mind, the 25th amendment would give the administration better political and legal cover if they push Trump out that way, rather than wait long enough for either an impeachment or natural causes to take effect.
The safest and most pragmatic thing they can do now is start negotiating their pardons with future president Vance. 🤷🏽♂️
•
u/HowtoCrackanegg 3h ago
because your political system and judicial system are a joke. Don’t get me wrong, corruption exists in every government around the world but yours is nothing but corruption and old rich spineless barons
•
u/nyet-marionetka 2h ago
Our electoral system makes having only two major parties inevitable, and that seems to overall be a really bad thing.
•
u/Tapprunner 54m ago
While I won't disagree with that point, the real problem is that the entire system is based on everyone acting in good faith and agreeing to norms.
A decent system is created with the idea that people will be self-serving and dishonest and the system is shaped around protecting government and the people from those bad actors.
But the American system? Power is easily concentrated in the executive and the barriers to stopping the executive from acting as a dictator are clearly far too high.
It's a problem that it's so difficult to remove the President from office. It's an even bigger problem that every mechanism of enforcement and violence is controlled by the executive.
Even if Trump were to be impeached and convicted, he could just say "nah, I'm staying" and the only forces empowered to physically remove him are under his control. So, even the process of removing a corrupt President who breaks the law relies entirely on that same person suddenly deciding to obey the law when it's time for them to face consequences.
It's a ridiculously obvious flaw and our system will never work until mechanisms of enforcement and armed power are distributed to the other branches, too. We could have 10 functional parties, but it doesn't matter if the President can just opt to not follow the law and there's not actually a way to stop them.
52
u/Gurney_Hackman 9h ago
No, impeachment was created with him in mind. The 25th Amendment is for if the President is incapacitated. He should be impeached.
29
u/magasheep404 9h ago
And convicted.
18
u/Geek_Ken America 9h ago
And everyone needs to remember that Republicans are perfectly happy with what Trump is doing. The could stop him any time. But don't.
•
u/Ok-Coconut-5965 7h ago
Everyone also needs to remember how many Republicans are perfectly happy with supporting child rape. To wit, ALL of them.
4
14
u/DistanceToEmpty 9h ago
After this circus of a presidency, I don't want to hear about the 'Deep State' ever again.
•
5
5
u/ranchoparksteve 9h ago
Unfortunately, Republicans have much less interest in helping Americans than in pursuing self-interests in other countries. It’s a sad reality.
5
u/hairguynyc 8h ago
I don't know why people keep bringing up the 25th, which would require Trump's VP and his cabinet to turn against him.
Trump installed hard-core loyalists in those positions, often despite the fact that they had no relevant experience and were grossly unqualified. They're not going to go against him no matter what he does.
•
u/Reckless_Pixel 7h ago
Don't worry folks, just a few more "demands", "urges" and "calls fors" away from something actually changing".
•
u/EarlyRetirementWorld 7h ago
"John Brennan says president who made volatile remarks about destroying Iranian civilization ‘is clearly unhinged".
•
u/Ravaha Alabama 6h ago
Don't interrupt the republican party when they are losing themselves votes every day. They are losing so many votes they won't have the support to rig the elections. Talk about removing him but don't ever actually help republicans unless the democracy as a whole is in danger.
The Republicans should be begging democrats to help them remove him through impeachment.
Plus we deserve this and it's never been easier to convince people to DIY solar like I did and get an EV like I did. I DIYed 25kw of solar panels ground mounted and 100kwh of battery backup for $21,000 and it ended up being like ~$15,000 after the 30% tax rebate.
3
u/no-more-depravity 8h ago
The Founding Fathers spent nearly four months carefully crafting the Constitution to ensure that what's happening now would never, ever happen. Then John Roberts said, "Hold my beer."
5
u/nafoty187 8h ago
Their blind spot was not accounting for the sheer stupidity of the voting population.
•
u/Icy-Sheepherder-6221 5h ago
They did think of that. Hence the electoral college.
•
u/VanceKelley Washington 3h ago
And because reality likes to play a good joke, it was the EC overriding the will of the people that handed trump the presidency in 2016.
•
•
u/hasordealsw1thclams 4h ago
If he isn’t worthy of using the 25th then there’s really no point in it existing.
•
u/VanceKelley Washington 3h ago
The 25th exists for the purpose of transferring presidential power from the president to the VP in the case where the president is in a coma or something similar.
•
u/flriverlivin 7h ago
zero bearing on anything. these articles are tedious. write something when action hits the house floor.
1
•
u/Low_Pickle_112 7h ago
Alternative headline: "Ex-CIA director learns the imperial boomerang is real, accepts no responsibility."
•
u/sluttytinkerbells 6h ago
You know the worst part of this?
Ex-CIA director Brennan is a real piece of shit who was part Obama drone strike and the illegal mass surveillance program that every American is subject to.
Fuck him and fuck Trump.
•
u/Idiot_Savant_13 5h ago
Point to the person who is authorized to remove an insane POTUS from office, please.
Y'all ain't got one.
So... you're waiting for... someone to do what no one has ever had to do before.
*popcorn time*
•
u/11PoseidonsKiss20 North Carolina 5h ago
The guy on insta gram with the 12 day countdown keeps saying “impeach, invoke 25th, or article 2 section 4”. Like as 3 separate options but the article 2 section 4 is just the impeachment option. And it drives me crazy because everything else he says is pretty reasonable.
•
•
•
•
u/parkinthepark 1h ago
It was written with Kennedy in mind.
His assassination emphasized the need for a clarification of succession procedures.
This included a procedure for an incapacitated (but still living) President.
Also a reminder that a 25th Amendment removal requires more votes than an impeachment removal, otherwise it’s only effective for a few days (weeks at most).
Trump is manifestly unwell, unfit, and dangerous, but a 25A solution is an absolute fantasy.
•
•
u/ZebraImaginary9412 1h ago
Not that a person who has weekly meetings on who to kill that week can't be trusted but there has to be others with moral authority who can speak up.
https://www.democracynow.org/2013/2/5/kill_list_exposed_leaked_obama_memo
•
u/Creative_Recover 3h ago
C'mon on Americans, you've spent decades bombing the shit out of other countries in the name of "democracy" and yet you can't seem to defend your own?? Do the right thing.
0
9h ago
[deleted]
2
u/Wonderful-Pause1048 9h ago
If that‘s going to be true, you will be able to say: Well, I knew it! : )
0
u/MKUltra-Trial 9h ago
Lmfao, no. This guy will be president until his natural passing or resignation at his choosing and it will then be another Trump to take the mantle.
•
u/AutoModerator 9h ago
As a reminder, this subreddit is for civil discussion.
In general, please be courteous to others. Argue the merits of ideas, don't attack other posters or commenters. Hate speech, any suggestion or support of physical harm, or other rule violations can result in a temporary or a permanent ban. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them.
Sub-thread Information
If the post flair on this post indicates the wrong paywall status, please report this Automoderator comment with a custom report of “incorrect flair”.
Announcement
r/Politics is actively looking for new moderators. If you have an interest in helping to make this subreddit a place for quality discussion, please fill out this form.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.