Pelosi says she spoke with Joint Chiefs chair about preventing 'unhinged' Trump from ordering a nuclear strike

Nancy Pelosi
(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) revealed Friday she has spoken with the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about preventing President Trump from using the nuclear codes.

Pelosi disclosed the conversation with Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley in a letter to her Democratic colleagues on Friday, in which she accused Trump of being "unhinged" and "unstable."

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This came after Pelosi on Thursday called for Trump to be removed from office either via the 25th Amendment or impeachment after a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol building in a riot that left five people dead. In the Friday letter, she reiterated her call for Vice President Mike Pence and Trump's Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and said that "if the president does not leave office imminently and willingly, the Congress will proceed with our action." The House of Representatives may vote on articles of impeachment next week, Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said earlier on Friday.

After sending out the letter, CNN's Manu Raju reports Pelosi "told her caucus that she has gotten assurances there are safeguards in place in the event President Trump wants to launch a nuclear weapon."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.