Roger Stone Says Plans Are Afoot To Remove President Trump Due To Alzheimer's Disease

AUSTIN, TX — Roger Stone, a close ally of President Trump, told an Austin-based, right-wing radio broadcaster of a bipartisan effort afoot to remove the president from office with claims that he suffers from Alzheimer's disease.

The forum where the claim was aired, Infowars, is scurrilous and suspect. Its head, Alex Jones, is infamous for perpetuating unproven conspiracy theories unencumbered by facts, and his own attorney described him as more of a "performance artist" rather than a purveyor of legitimate information in a recent child custody hearing with his ex-wife.

But the comments from Stone alone suffuse the claim with some measure of gravitas. Although he was ultimately fired from the Trump campaign amid controversy, Stone is widely viewed as a presidential confidante who, arguably more than anyone, helped lead the charge to get the reality star/real estate magnate elected to the nation's highest office. A Netflix documentary, "Get Me Roger Stone," yields abundant testimony as to his influence in the rise of Trump.

But, then again, Stone is known for spouting off untruths, conspiratorial musings and racist vitriol. He advanced various conspiracy theories during Trump's presidential campaign, including a baseless assertion that an aide to Hillary Clinton, Huma Abedin, was somehow connected to the Muslim Brotherhood. Stone ultimately was banned by various networks for attacking Trump critics with ad hominem attacks, including calling one CNN commentator an "entitled diva [word that rhymes with witch]" and referring to noted African American pundit Roland Martin as a "fat negro."

So depending on one's outlook on Stone's own lucidity, the comments as to what he suggests is an orchestrated attempt to have Trump removed might be taken with or without a grain of salt. He told Jones during the Monday broadcast that a bipartisan effort is afoot to have Trump removed from office via guidelines outlined in the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

"They are going to claim that Donald Trump has Alzheimer’s and that it is progressive and that is the source of his insanity," Stone told Jones. "I have talked to the president fairly recently. He is as sharp as a tack. There is no evidence of any deterioration in his thought process. This is completely bogus, but under the 25th Amendment, if a majority of the Cabinet, plus the vice president, agree that the president is incapacitated, well then, he is removed, and if he seeks to fight the charges, it goes to the U.S. House of Representatives where erosion among Republicans could destroy the Trump presidency."

The 25th Amendment reads as follows: "Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President."

Stone's commentary comes at a time of breathtaking crises at the White House that have taken many people across the political spectrum by surprise. This week alone, the Washington Post first reported that Trump revealed highly confidential information to visiting Russian officials that is related to intelligence on the terrorist group ISIS. And on Tuesday, the New York Times reported that a memo by ousted FBI Director James Comey says Trump asked him to end a probe related to possible collusion between Trump officials and the Russian government during the 2016 election.

The daily chaos swirling at the White House predates this week's developments in a series of events many view as erratic behavior by Trump. Most prominently among these is the firing of Comey, an action that alone raised eyebrows. Prior to that and also shocking was the firing of former Assistant Attorney General Sally Q. Yates after she defied him on implementing his proposed ban on U.S. travel by residents of several Muslim-majority countries. A little more than a month after that firing, Trump fired Preet Bharara, who had served as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York since 2009. At the time of his firing, Bharara was reportedly investigating Rep. Tom Price, then Trump's nominee for Health and Human Services secretary.

At this point, myriad fronts have emerged as potential paths for impeaching and possibly removing Trump from office. As of this week. the Stone theory is now added to the dizzying mix. Do with it as you will.

>>> Photo credit: Lizzie Ochoa picture of Roger Stone via Wikimedia Commons