Pompeo, Mnuchin among Trump Cabinet members who discussed 25th Amendment: report

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin were reportedly among the Trump Cabinet members that discussed the use of the 25th Amendment, three sources told CNBC.

The sources told the news outlet that the Cabinet secretaries held informal conversations within their own agencies about the process, but there was no formal advancement of the effort.

The report comes as dozens of Democrats and several GOP officials have called on Vice President Pence to invoke the amendment and remove Trump from office after a mob of his supporters raided the U.S. Capitol.

There were several arguments against pursuing the action, according to the news outlet. First, the legal process would take more than a week, meaning the effort would likely not have an immediate effect. There was also discussion about whether secretaries serving in “acting” roles would be able to participate in a vote to remove.

There were also concerns that pushing President Trump out of office would only worsen tensions among his base, which could do more harm in the long-term.

Mnuchin declined to comment to CNBC, and a State Department Official denied to The Hill that the conversations took place.

The Hill has reached out to the Treasury secretary for comment.  

Section 4 of the 25th Amendment authorizes the vice president and a majority of Cabinet members to declare a president is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of this office.” However, a sitting president could challenge this.

However, Business Insider and The New York Times have reported that Pence would not back the move, and a White House official told The Hill that he has not engaged in any discussions on the 25th Amendment.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that the House would impeach Trump for a second time if Pence didn’t invoke the amendment.