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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke Friday with the top U.S. military commander about taking precautions to ensure President Donald Trump cannot initiate hostilities or order a nuclear strike during his remaining days in office.
Pelosi said in a letter to Democratic lawmakers that he spoke with Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chief of staff, about what measures are available to curb Trump.
“The situation of this dishonored president could not be more dangerous and we must do everything possible to protect the American people from their unbalanced assault on our country and our democracy,” Pelosi said in a letter to his comrades.
The president later said in a conference call with House Democrats that Milley assured him there were measures in place that would prevent Trump from firing nuclear weapons, according to a source familiar with the call.
The move came two days after riots sparked by Trump’s false allegations of election fraud stormed the U.S. Capitol amid chaotic scenes that shook the world and led to the president’s withdrawal.
While Pelosi’s letter highlights lawmakers ’concern about what Trump may try to do during his remaining tenure in office, there are questions about what Milley or anyone else could do to prevent a president from using nuclear weapons.
“There is no legal way to do that. The president has the sole unrestricted authority to order the use of nuclear weapons without requiring a ‘second vote,'” said Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the Institute. of International Studies from Middlebury to Monterey, California. .
However, a US official speaking on condition of anonymity told Reuters that any use of nuclear weapons is a very deliberate process.
Milley’s office said Pelosi had initiated the call and Milley “answered his questions about the nuclear command authority process” without further ado.
Democratic President-elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20. Trump said Friday before that he would not attend the inauguration, breaking with a long tradition in U.S. presidential transitions.
Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, also said he had not received news from Vice President Mike Pence about whether he would agree with the top Democrat’s request to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office “for his incitement to insurrection and the danger still poses “.
He said “we still hope to know as soon as possible with a positive response.”
Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, have said that if Pence does not accept the request, Democrats would be willing to charge Trump a second time.
The dismissal articles are expected to be introduced on Monday, with a vote in the House as early as Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the planning and granted anonymity to discuss it.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS, AP)