GOP lawmakers considered more serious measures to remove Donald Trump after Jan. 6, new book says

Former President Donald Trump was impeached the second time for inciting the violence of the mob that broke into the Capitol on January 6, 2021, on a bipartisan vote. A new book revealed that in the aftermath of the insurrection, Republican lawmakers apparently considered taking more serious measures to remove Trump from office.

In a new book by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, several Republican lawmakers have suggested taking more serious measures in removing the now-former president from office after the insurrection. One such measure was through invoking the 25th Amendment, considered by Republican Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse.

The invocation of the 25th Amendment – a law that permits the Cabinet to remove the president if they believe he is not mentally fit to serve – was also part of the conversation occurring in both the House and Senate Republican caucuses. Both Herrera Beutler and Newhouse voted to impeach Trump the second time, and both are facing challenges to their seats by Trump’s base of supporters in the midterm elections this year.

This follows the previous revelations of Congressional Minority Leaders Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell. McCarthy privately criticized Trump and planned to push for his resignation while also calling for the suspension of the social media platforms of the members of his caucus that have pushed “The Big Lie.” When McCarthy attempted to deny the revelations, Burns and Martin released the recordings.

According to the book, Herrera Beutler suggested another option to remove Trump by joining with the Senate Republican caucus in calling for the then-president’s resignation. Herrera Beutler also testified during the impeachment trials regarding Trump’s call with McCarthy when the insurrection took place.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security found that Trump’s acting DHS head Chad Wolf altered and delayed an intelligence report regarding Russia’s interference in the 2020 elections.

The initial report was originally expected to be released on July 9, 2020, but Wolf delayed the release. A whistleblower revealed that Wolf thought the assessment “made the president look bad.”

“The acting secretary participated in the review process multiple times despite lacking any formal role in reviewing the product, resulting in the delay of its dissemination on at least one occasion. The delays and deviation from I&A standard process and requirements put at risk of creating a perception and politicization,” said the report released by the OIG, noting that the I&A or the Office of Intelligence and Analysis agreed with the report.