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UNDER OATH: Former Sec. of State Pompeo agrees to meet with House Select Committee

UNDER OATH: Former Sec. of State Pompeo agrees to meet with House Select Committee

UNDER OATH: Former Sec. of State Pompeo agrees to meet with House Select Committee

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to meet with the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th insurrection on Tuesday about discussions held among Trump’s cabinet about invoking the 25th amendment after the violent attack on the Capitol.

The investigative panel has been in talks for weeks with Pompeo, The New York Times reported.

“Mr. Pompeo has been in talks with the committee about his appearance for weeks, according to a person familiar with the matter, and could provide testimony about discussions within Mr. Trump’s cabinet about the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Mr. Trump from office after the events of Jan. 6, 2021,” the newspaper wrote.

The 25th amendment allows the sitting Vice President, along with a majority of the administration’s cabinet, to remove a president from office who can no longer “discharge the powers and duties of the office.”

ABC White House correspondent Jonathan Karl detailed conversations with Pompeo and former Trump Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin in his 2021 book, Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show.

According to Karl, Mnuchin discussed using the amendment with other cabinet members – including Pompeo – on the evening of, and the day after, the insurrection. With the then-Secretary of State reportedly asking for a legal analysis of the process.

“The analysis determined that it would take too much time,” Karl writes, “considering that Trump only had 14 days left in office and any attempt to forcefully remove him would be subject to legal challenge.”

Mike Pompeo denied having any conversation about removing then-President Trump:

“Pompeo through a spokesman denied there have ever been conversations around invoking the 25th amendment,” Karl writes. “The spokesman declined to put his name on the statement.”

After the violent storming of the Capitol, a number of Republican leaders told CNN that Trump should be removed prior to Biden’s inauguration.

“‘He has to be impeached and removed,’ said one current Republican elected official. Even ally Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), expressed the need to ‘move on,’ saying ‘It’s past time for the president to accept the results of the election, quit misleading the American people, and repudiate mob violence,'” CNN reported.

The reason for Mike Pompeo’s about-face remains to be seen – it’s been rumored he’s eyeing a 2024 run for President. But as the House Select Committee ramps up its investigation into January 6th, and with the DOJ handing out subpoenas like Halloween candy – the walls are closing in on Trump’s associates. Pompeo should probably focus on avoiding the big house before trying for the White House.

Original reporting by Luke Broadwater at The New York Times

Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick

Ty Ross
News journalist for Occupy Democrats.

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