Topline
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R.N.C.) wrote a Thursday letter to Vice President Kamala Harris urging her to start the process to remove President Joe Biden. However, the right-wing lawmaker made one major error in the letter. He misspelled Harris' name.
DALLAS (TEXAS) - July 09: Madison Cawthorn, U.S. Rep., speaks at the Conservative Political... [+] Action Conference CPAC, held at the Hilton Anatole, Dallas, Texas on July 9, 2021. CPAC was established in 1974. It is a conference that gathers conservative organizations, activists and world leaders to discuss current events and future agendas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images). Getty Images
The Key Facts
The letter addresses Harris as Kamela Harris and asks her to invoke 25th Amendment to Constitution. This allows the majority of Cabinet members to override a president who is unable or unwilling to perform his duties. The letter asks Harris to summon her courage and perform your duty. It ends with a quote from Treasure Island, a 19th-century adventure novel. Cawthorn is among dozens of Senate and House Republicans who are calling for Biden's resignation, impeachment, or removal following an Islamic State attack on Kabul that claimed the lives of at least 13 U.S. military personnel. Forbes reached out to Harris for comment.
Important Background
Cawthorn isn't the only Republican to have called for the 25th Amendment to expel Biden from office. Senator Rick Scott (R.Fla.), who is the head of the Senate GOPs campaign arm said last week that we need to confront the serious question: Is Joe Biden capable? Before pointing out the amendment, The idea was also brought up by Rep. Mark Green (R.Tenn.), in a Fox News interview.
Tangent
It was also suggested widely, but it was never used as a way to remove former President Donald Trump from office following the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol. The House Select Committee investigating Wednesday's attack sent eight broad document requests to federal agencies, seeking records, among others, on discussions regarding invoking the 25th Amendment for Trump's removal.
Chief Critic
Twelve U.S. military personnel lost their lives to terrorists on this day. This is not a day for politics. We would expect any American to stand with us in our commitments to fighting terrorists wherever they live, and honoring the memories of service personnel, Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said Thursday, in response to calls to remove Bidens from office.
Important Quote
According to a Time Magazine report, Cawthorn said that he has built his staff around comms and not legislation.
