‘Misguided and dangerous’: Rick Scott redoubles 25th Amendment push

Sen. Rick Scott. Image via AP.

As White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki struggled with Afghanistan questions from a newly combative press corps Friday, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott revived his plea for the Cabinet to remove President Joe Biden from office.

Scott has been shopping the unlikely scenario for the better part of two weeks and continues to double down on the notion that Biden is “unfit” for office, his actions “misguided and dangerous,” and that Vice President Kamala Harris and the Cabinet should invoke the 25th Amendment.

“On August 16, as the world watched the Taliban rapidly take Afghanistan due directly to Joe Biden’s failed withdrawal of U.S. forces, I urged the nation to confront a serious question: Is Joe Biden capable of discharging the duties of his office or has time come to exercise the provisions of the 25^th Amendment,” Scott asserted Friday.

Indeed, Scott first posed this “serious question” on Twitter.

“Now, 11 days later and following the tragic loss of 13 American service members in a heartbreaking, predictable and preventable terrorist attack, I am again urging Vice President Harris and the cabinet to put politics aside, act in the best interests of the American people and consider invoking the 25^th Amendment,” Scott urged. “I do not say this lightly or with any pleasure. I hope Joe Biden is okay and strong enough to lead, but there is no tolerance for uncertainty here. The Office of President of the United States is the most powerful in the world and it demands total accountability.”

Scott road-tested questions about Biden being “okay,” wondering if he was “healthy and strong enough to lead” last week, as part of a larger messaging about the President’s acuity.

“President Biden’s failure to safely withdraw American troops and our allies from Afghanistan has created mass chaos and tremendous danger and bloodshed. If yesterday’s horrific loss of life wasn’t painful enough, we also have learned that Biden’s administration shared names of Americans and our Afghan allies with the Taliban — inexplicably threatening the lives of even more of our own citizens and allies stranded behind enemy lines.”

Scott then lurched into a call to action with a cross-stitched emotional appeal.

“His actions continue to defy logic and must be answered for. It’s clear he is not fit to lead. While I continue to call for a full congressional investigation, before even more is lost and damage is done, we must have accountability for the President’s misguided and dangerous actions,” Scott added.

Invoking the 25th Amendment would make Vice President Harris President.

Scott has criticized Harris as well, including attempting to delegitimize her position by asking “what has she ever accomplished” during a Fox News hit earlier this year.

Scott got media traction last week from this messaging, and given the degree of conservative dudgeon over the Afghanistan endgame, expect that he will continue to make the paradoxical case for a Harris Presidency.

As USA Today reported earlier this year, calls to invoke the 25th Amendment against former President Donald Trump were frequent, but never went anywhere, and Scott himself was opposed. Expect these calls to have the same effect for the foreseeable future.