There’s yet another juicy tell-all about the capper to Donald Trump’s one-term presidency, namely Jonathan Karl’s Betrayal, and surprise surprise, there’s even more out-there nonsense that hadn’t yet been made public. The same day we learned Fox News Maria Bartiromo might be crazier than already suspected, we also heard that two of the highers-up in the Trump cabinet reportedly discussed yanking their boss out of office the night of Jan. 6.
As per Rolling Stone, the siege on the Capitol building — and Trump’s indifference to it — rattled more than just longtime loyalists like Mitch McConnell (who delivered a slurry rebuke of the man to whom he’d soon return). It also got to then-Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. And that night, the two reportedly discussed using the 25th Amendment to remove the unhinged president from power posthaste.
That ideas was “quickly jettisoned,” partly due to the resignations the next day of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. They then realized it would be too tricky and time-consuming to formally chuck Trump.
“It would not be quick enough and it would be subject to legal challenges,” Karl said, explaining why the plan was abandoned. “But in the hours after the riot, there were high-level conversations about this.”
Pompeo later denied this happened, but Karl has stood by his reporting, which he called “rock solid.” But it’s clear, given the immediate reaction after the failed insurrection, that more than a few prominent Republicans were shaken by what happened — even if they eventually seemed to get over it.
Meanwhile, Karl has revealed, both in his book and during his press tour, some other genuinely shocking humdingers. How was it not better known that some “f*cking idiot” former body man was really running the show, that the rally that led to Herman Cain’s death was even more of a “s*itshow” than previously reported, or that Trump himself seemed to be cool with his supporters wanting to hang Mike Pence?
(Via Rolling Stone)