Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi pushed for President Donald Trump’s nuclear launch code access to be revoked Friday, multiple outlets reported.
Pelosi spoke with Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to discuss steps to prevent “an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike,” according to a statement sent from the speaker to House Democrats. The statement was released prior to a conference call amongst Democrats focused on impeaching Trump, Reuters reported.
????PELOSI says she’s spoken to Milley about preventing trump from launching nukes. pic.twitter.com/XIhGqr5QUq
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 8, 2021
“The situation of this unhinged President could not be more dangerous, and we must do everything that we can to protect the American people from his unbalanced assault on our country and our democracy,” Pelosi added.
Pelosi was the one to call Milley’s office, questioning him about the nuclear command authority, Milley’s spokesman said, according to Reuters.
Unlike most military decisions, which require the approval of a multitude of officials, initiating a nuclear attack is designed to take mere minutes, according to Politico.
“We’ve seen him do some crazy things, but let’s not start dragging out things like nuclear codes,” Gen. Colin Powell, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned on The Today Show Friday.
At this point, no top-ranking national security or military officials have raised any concerns about Trump’s mental state hindering his ability to handle nuclear codes, according to Reuters. (RELATED: Nikki Haley Slams Trump, Says He Will Be ‘Judged Harshly By History’)
Pelosi’s concerns follow the Capitol riot which left five dead Wednesday, including U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick.