This story will update.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi reached out to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley Friday morning to discuss protocols in place to prevent President Donald Trump from initiating any "military hostilities."
Pelosi discussed "available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike," an emailed statement to fellow Congressional Democrats reads.
The office of the Joint Chiefs has thus far not responded to requests for comment or provided additional information regarding what exactly those available precautions might be.
Pelosi's statement comes as members of Congress discuss the various methods through which Trump could be removed from office. Several veteran members of Congress are among those calling for his removal.
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One such method of removal, invoking the 25th Amendment, would immediately transfer the president's powers and duties to the vice president. The amendment has tiers of permanence and severity, so to speak. The third section of the 25th Amendment has been invoked several times in the past to temporarily transfer power to the vice president during medical procedures. The fourth section of the amendment, however, which permanently deems the president unfit for leadership, has never been invoked.
The vice president and a majority of either the Cabinet or a group established by Congress must coordinate to invoke the amendment.
The other such method of removal, impeachment, is being discussed in a meeting with the House Democratic caucus scheduled for today.
The attack on the Capitol on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of five including two veterans: QAnon conspirator Ashli Babbitt and United States Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick.
Pelosi ordered the flags on the Capitol grounds to fly at half-staff for Sicknick.
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