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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke with the US military commander on Friday about taking precautions to ensure that President Donald Trump cannot initiate hostilities or order a nuclear strike in his remaining days.
Pelosi said in a letter to Democratic lawmakers that he had spoken with Army General Mark Milley, the chief of staff, about what measures were available to control Trump.
“The situation of this disgruntled president could not be more dangerous and we must do everything we can to protect the American people from their unbalanced attack on our country and our democracy,” Pelosi said in a letter to colleagues.
The president later said in a conference call with House Democrats that Milley assured her that there were steps to 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 claims of electoral fraud stormed the US Chapter amid chaotic scenes that shocked the world and sparked demands for the removal of the incumbent president.
While Pelosi’s letter highlights lawmakers’ concerns about what Trump might try to do while in office, there are questions about what Milley or anyone could do to stop a president from using nuclear weapons.
“There is no legal way to do this. The president has the sole and unlimited authority to order the use of nuclear weapons without the need for a ‘second vote,'” said Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey. California.
However, a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters that any use of nuclear weapons is an extremely deliberative process.
Milley’s office said Pelosi initiated the appeal, and Milley “answered his questions about the nuclear command authority’s process,” without elaborating.
Democratically elected President Joe Biden takes office on January 20. Trump said earlier Friday that he would not attend the inauguration, violating a long-standing tradition in US presidential transitions.
Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, also said he had not responded to Vice President Mike Pence if he would agree with the Democrats’ request to invoke the 25th amendment to remove Trump from office “for his incitement. to insurrection and danger still poses “.
She said she “still hopes to hear from him as soon as possible with a positive response.”
Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, said that if Pence disagrees with the request, Democrats are prepared to accuse Trump a second time.
The indictment is expected to be introduced on Monday, with the House voting immediately on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the planning and who has given him anonymity to discuss it.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS, AP)