Rule of Law

What congressional lawmakers fear Trump might do

“What worries me most about coming days is that this president is so erratic, so unstable, so unpredictable, while holding immense power, that until Trump is removed from office, virtually anything is possible.” — CAC President Elizabeth Wydra 

WASHINGTON — Many lawmakers in both parties said they have serious concerns about what President Donald Trump might do before he leaves office next week, but most have been vague about what worries them the most.

Still, just days after a Trump-inspired mob violently ransacked Congress as it certified Joe Biden as president, Democrats were to vote Tuesday on a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to remove Trump now from office under the 25th Amendment.

“The President represents an imminent threat to our Constitution, our Country and the American people, and he must be removed from office immediately,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Monday.

What are their biggest fears? Here’s a sampling from a survey of Democrats and others.

Misusing the nuclear codes

A possible misuse by Trump of the United States’ nuclear weapons haunts many Democrats, including Pelosi, who reached out to Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to ask about “preventing an unstable president” from ordering a nuclear strike.

While Trump would have to go through a process, he still has the final say, experts said.

Inciting more violence

With the inauguration a week away, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), said he is worried about Trump repeating his incitement of his followers.

“Some of the things I am most worried about is that the president will incite further violence either at the Capitol or other places in our country, or make another decision to help his personal interests that puts the country’s national security at risk,” Schumer said.

Schumer talked with FBI Director Christopher Wray Saturday and urged him “to relentlessly pursue the mob of violent insurrectionists” and “to guard against potential additional attacks,” his office said in a statement Sunday.

Issuing unpardonable pardons

Trump is expected to grant a slew of pardons before he leaves office, and already has issued clemency to people convicted of helping him battle the Mueller investigation. That raises a concern about the mob who marched to the Capitol at his urging.

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) said he worries about more Trump-inspired violence, but also said, “I’m concerned with Trump pardoning anyone involved with the insurrection.”

Confronting Iran

Jim Manley, a top aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said he worries Trump will pardon himself, “which will show that the rule of law is in grave danger.”

But after thinking about it, Manley said in an email, “I am less concerned about the pardoning spree he is about to go on — even though it’s going to be bad — than I am with him forcing some sort of confrontation with Iran.”

Issuing last-minute proclamations

On Monday, Trump’s State Department unexpectedly redesignated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism, stunning Democrats.

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans), recently named House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, told The Associated Press: “This designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism with less than a week to go in his presidency and after he incited a domestic terror attack on the U.S. Capital … that’s hypocrisy.”

Nothing is likely …

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), a staunch supporter, said he had no worries about Trump.

“As the President stated Thursday, there needs to be a peaceful transition of power on January 20, 2021, and his administration has continued to move forward with that goal since to ensure a smooth hand off,” he said in an email.

… Anything Is possible

On the left, fears run high. Take the Constitutional Accountability Center, which describes itself as a progressive think tank, law firm and action center.

The center’s president, Elizabeth Wydra, said in a statement: “What worries me most about coming days is that this president is so erratic, so unstable, so unpredictable, while holding immense power, that until Trump is removed from office, virtually anything is possible.”