Photo Source Giuseppe Milo | CC BY 2.0
The odds do not favor Donald Trump being impeached or indicted, but there is an unusual alternative without precedent. In 1963, following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a bipartisan effort led by Senators Kenneth Keating and Estes Kefauver enacted legislation for a procedure to replace a president unable to discharge the duties of the office. Like impeachment and indictment, however, the use of the 25th Amendment is unlikely.
Since Trump will not be removed from office before 2020, it is important to focus on approaches to contain his worst impulses and protect the country. If the Democrats gain control of the House of Representatives in the November 2018 election, there are initiatives that could be pursued.
The presidential assault on our governance and the meanness of Trump’s social and economic policies will require dialogue and conciliation to ameliorate the political damage that has been done. We cannot wait for a progressive and pragmatic occupant in the White House in view of Trump’s efforts to reduce non-military spending and bludgeon important federal programs and regulations. It will be necessary to review, reinvigorate, and reinvent the federal government in the wake of the destruction caused by the Trump presidency.
Congress should establish an independent and nonpartisan entity to oversee the process of “real reform” in order to repair the damage wrought by Trump’s ideological political…