White House trade adviser Peter Navarro is throwing out some rather outlandish scenarios about the already decided election. While on Jeanine Pirro’s Fox News show (potentially violating the Hatch act) this weekend he even suggested delaying the inauguration. One of those scenarios seemed related to Senator Ted Cruz’s call for an “emergency audit” of the election. Navarro said if need be inauguration day can be pushed back:
“It can be changed, actually…We can go past that date, if we need to. And we have got to get this right … We need to take it back for the people.”
Experts say inauguration day actually can’t be changed. The constitution has it set for January 20th. That means Donald Trump and Mike Pence’s term end that day regardless of what happens. However, let’s say there was a scenario where inauguration day was moved, Navarro may not realize that this would mean Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi would then be president. Twitter users were quick to point this out.
None of that changes if there’s no confirmed successor. Even if Congress somehow gums up the works — and it won’t — then the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 would give us Acting President Pelosi.
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) January 3, 2021
This is all just offensive, norm-destroying, democracy-disrespecting garbage.
Pelosi is expected to win her fourth term as House speaker today.
