2 Cabinet members wanted to oust Trump with the 25th Amendment, former FBI counsel says


The 25th Amendment threats were coming from inside the White House.
Since the beginnings of President Trump's term, several reports have suggested a handful of administration officials have looked for ways to oust him. Those conversations often turned to the 25th Amendment — something even two Cabinet officials were apparently onboard with invoking, former FBI general counsel James Baker told members of Congress in a closed-door interview late last year.
In October, Baker sat down to discuss the FBI's investigation into 2016 election interference. Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) released a transcript of that interview on Tuesday, revealing how Baker, in the interview, confirmed reports that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had discussed wearing a wire to record President Trump. That idea was "quickly dismissed," Baker said, before going to to say he heard from Rosenstein that "two members of the Cabinet" were "willing to" invoke the 25th Amendment.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The 25th Amendment spells out how a majority of Cabinet secretaries can oust a president they deem unfit to serve. Several former Trump staffers — namely short-lived aide Omarosa Manigault Newman — have said it was a constant topic of discussion and jokes within the White House. Yet judging by what Baker heard, some of Trump's top officials took the amendment's powers very seriously.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - free trade, judicial pushback, and more
By The Week US
-
5 educational cartoons about the Harvard pushback
Cartoons Artists take on academic freedom, institutional resistance, and more
By The Week US
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't last
Speed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's Shapiro
Speed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
White House pushes for oversight of Columbia University
Speed Read The Trump administration is considering placing the school under a consent decree
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court backs wrongly deported migrant
Speed Read The Trump administration must 'facilitate' the return of wrongfully deported migrant Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador, Supreme Court says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Two judges bar war-powers deportations
Speed Read The Trump administration was blocked from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport more alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US