WASHINGTON — A conservative opposition research group is asking Speaker Mike Johnson to task the House Judiciary and Oversight committees with investigating allegations that Democrats threatened a “palace coup” against President Biden if he didn’t step aside.
The American Accountability Foundation, a right-leaning opposition research firm, specifically cited a report by The Post with allegations of a Democratic pressure campaign against Biden in a Thursday letter to Johnson (R-La.).
“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,” the AAF wrote in its letter.
On Monday, The Post published a report based on a source who alleged that Democratic Party bigwigs threatened to push to employ the 25th Amendment if Biden, 81, didn’t capitulate.
Under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, the vice president and a majority of the cabinet can determine the president incapable of discharging his duties and move to replace him or her with the vice president.
A sitting president could then challenge the move before Congress, where he or she would have to win over a two-thirds majority in both chambers to retain power.
Democrats began a public mutiny against Biden in the aftermath of his disastrous debate performance last month that left them rattled about his mental acuity and ability to win.
Biden ultimately threw in the towel last Sunday and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party’s presidential standard bearer. Three days later, on Wednesday, he explained his decision.
“I revere this office, but I love my country more,” the 81-year-old president said in a primetime address. “It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your president, but the defense of democracy — which is at stake — I think is more important than any title.”
The latest on President Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race:
- Biden drops out of presidential race: live updates
- Kamala Harris campaign flooded with ‘record-breaking’ $81 million in donations in first 24 hours after Biden drops out
- Top Dems threatened to forcibly remove Biden from office unless he resigned, set him up to fail at Trump debate: sources
- Schumer, Pelosi played ‘good cop, bad cop’ to convince Biden to drop out with ex-speaker stating, ‘Easy way or the hard way’
- Trump and JD Vance accuse Dems of leading ‘coup’ against Biden, call to ‘invoke the 25th Amendment’
In the public domain, there have been no serious talks among Democrats about using the 25th Amendment against him. However, the AAF is interested in potential private discussions about the tool.
At least one of his cabinet members, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, has publicly denied that there were ever any discussions about invoking the amendment.
“No,” she simply told a congressional committee earlier this month when asked.
“The president is extremely effective in the meetings that I’ve been in with him,” she later claimed. “That includes many international meetings that are multi-hour.”
The AAF contended that if the report is true, it would’ve amounted to “extortion.”
“Such a demand by the Vice President, and any supporters in the cabinet, would have unquestionably been extortion,” the group wrote to Johnson.
“The House of Representatives must act quickly using its powers of investigation, subpoena, and contempt to determine what discussions members of the cabinet had regarding the application of the twenty-fifth amendment,” the AAF continued.
Ironically, after last month’s debate, several prominent Republicans suggested that the cabinet should consider invoking the 25th Amendment. Johnson himself took note of those musings at the time.
“There’s a lot of people asking about invoking the 25th Amendment right now because this is an alarming situation,” Johnson told reporters the following morning.
Now that Biden has bowed out of consideration in the 2024 presidential race, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has pushed back against that chatter.
What to know about President Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race:
- President Biden announced Sunday he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race — after weeks of prominent Democrats and donors calling on him to withdraw following his disastrous performance in the first presidential debate.
- In a letter posted on X Sunday afternoon, Biden admitted that it is in the “best interest of my party and country” for him to step down as the Democratic nominee.
- Biden wrote that he intends to serve out the remainder of his term and will address the country on his decision later this week.
- In a follow-up X post, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the suddenly open Democratic nomination. “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” the president wrote.
- Former President Donald Trump reacted to the news by labeling Biden the “worst president in the history of our country” in a call with CNN.
“I don’t think they should use the 25th Amendment. Not long to go, you know, we have four months now and then he’s got another month and a half,” Trump told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday.
“I will say this, the world is in a very dangerous place. I think if [Biden] goes, [Kamala] then takes over and she’s worse than he is. I believe she’s a San Francisco radical. I believe she’s actually much worse and a way worse candidate than he is and she’s not doing very well,” he added.
The Post contacted the White House for comment.