Ex-CIA Dir John Brennan Proposes Trump Coup Over Iran War
A former CIA director recently declared that the 25th Amendment was crafted with President Trump specifically in view. The remark came shortly after Democrats intensified calls to remove Trump from office in response to his aggressive warnings to Iran.
He argued that it was dangerous to let someone like Trump remain commander-in-chief with authority over America’s massive military arsenal—including nuclear weapons—especially after comments that appeared to hint at wiping out an entire civilization.
In reality, the 25th Amendment was written in the wake of President Kennedy’s assassination and President Eisenhower’s heart attack to handle cases of genuine physical or mental incapacity. The only president in recent memory who arguably fit that description without any physical ailment was Joe Biden, whom Democrats had repeatedly insisted was mentally sharp until the narrative suddenly changed.
What the former official is openly advocating is nothing short of a seditious coup. Federal law is clear on this point: under 18 U.S. Code § 2384, anyone who conspires to overthrow, oppose by force, or hinder the authority of the United States government faces fines and up to twenty years in prison.
The former CIA director’s outrage is hardly surprising given the sharp decline in Iran’s fortunes. He has long held a relatively sympathetic view of the Islamic Republic. Years ago he publicly stated that stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons could best be achieved through persuasion, not confrontation. In a 2008 article he sharply criticized the Bush administration for lumping Iranian actions under the broad label of “state-sponsored terrorism” and for pursuing an overly rigid policy instead of a more flexible, nuanced strategy.
Yet personal policy disagreements, no matter how deeply felt, do not justify calls to overthrow a sitting president through extra-constitutional means.
