Group asks House Speaker to investigate whether Democrats used 25th Amendment threat to force Biden out of presidential race
By isabelle // 2024-07-28
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After repeatedly insisting that he would remain in the race for president after his horrifying debate performance, why did Joe Biden suddenly have a change of heart and withdraw his candidacy with little fanfare? Some people are speculating that he may have been forced out by his own party in a desperate bid to hold onto their chances of keeping the White House under their control, and one conservative group has implored lawmakers to investigate the possibility. The opposition research firm The American Accountability Foundation has sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson asking the House Judiciary and Oversight committees to find out whether Democrats threatened the elderly president with the 25th Amendment to get him to step aside. The letter refers to an exclusive report by the New York Post based on a source close to the Biden family that says that Democratic Party operatives at the “very highest levels” threatened to remove the president from office using the powers of the 25th amendment in what they described as a “palace coup.” The 25th Amendment stipulates that if the vice president and a majority of the president's cabinet deem the president incapable of carrying out his duties, they can force him to step down and replace him with the vice president. Although there is a mechanism in place for the president to challenge such a move, he would need a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress to remain in office. This means that if Vice President Harris could get eight cabinet members to support such a move, they could give Biden an ultimatum that would force him to not only end his campaign but also endorse her candidacy or face the possibility of being forcibly removed from office and damaging his legacy. According to the insider, Biden was aware that they were trying to push him out but fought it at every chance and displayed “anger, paranoia and frustration” as his party continued to pressure him to step aside. The source even said that letting him debate Trump was part of their strategy as they knew he would not fare well and his performance would convince other Democrats not to let him run for president. The letter states that the president's own actions lend credence to the idea of such a “palace coup” given the fact that he said on numerous occasions in multiple interviews that he would not be dropping out of the race. When he finally did announce he was no longer running, the announcement was quietly posted on X on a Sunday afternoon without warning his inner circle beforehand, and he disappeared from public view for the following two days – something that they believe “reinforces that this was a hastily conceived withdraw likely forced by external pressure.”

Threatening Biden with 25th Amendment amounts to extortion, group says

The American Accountability Foundation noted in its letter that if this is what happened, it would be considered extortion, stating: “Such a demand by the Vice President, and any supporters in the cabinet, would have unquestionably been extortion.” “If the Vice President and members of the cabinet pressured President Biden to suspend his campaign under the threat of invoking the twenty-fifth amendment, it would represent one of the most consequential seizures of power in American government history.” Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer also believes he was forced out, telling Fox News: “Joe Biden was pressured out by the Democratic power brokers. They loved him until they concluded they could no longer use him. Once it was clear that he was likely going to lose, they threw him overboard so fast.” Sources for this article include: X.com NYPost.com NYPost.com
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