The demented FBI bid to oust Trump

It’s too early to take away any clear lessons from the Trump era, except one: Whatever you do, never fire the FBI director.

Yes, as president, it is fully within your power to cashier inferior executive branch officers. But if the aftermath of the James Comey firing is any indication, it risks backlash from FBI and Justice Department officials who will take umbrage — and extraordinary steps in response.

This is the upshot of the “60 Minutes” interview with former FBI Deputy Director Andrew ­McCabe. The Comey firing was ham-fisted and unsettling, given the ongoing investigation of Russian interference into the 2016 election. But what ensued was an embarrassing freak-out by law enforcement officials entrusted with awesome powers.

According to McCabe, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein brought up invoking the 25th Amendment.

It is worth considering how this Rube Goldberg amendment is supposed to work: The vice president takes power if he and a ­majority of the cabinet declare in writing to the Senate and the House that the president is ­“unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”

Then the president can contest the declaration, also in writing to the Senate and the House. If the veep and a majority of the cabinet still say he can’t serve, Congress has 21 days to vote on the question. If two-thirds of both chambers say he can’t, the vice president remains acting president.

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