Section
4 of the 25th Amendment, which allows the vice president to
remove the president if he or she has the consent of the majority of
the Cabinet or "such other body as Congress," if they believe he cannot
"discharge the powers and duties of the office."
Over a year later, David Palmer is now the President. He is alerted to
the threat of a nuclear bomb detonating in the U.S. He also is informed
that Bauer, now an inactive agent, has contacts with people who could
lead them to the bomb. Jack ignored calls from CTU, but responded to
the call from President Palmer.
Jack became an active agent again, eventually finding the bomb and
detonating it in a remote area. Palmer orders attacks on the three
nations responsible, as revealed by an audio known as the Cyprus
Recording. Palmer then reverses course, stating that he believes the
recordings to be fake, as advised by Jack, but Mike Novick, his Chief
of Staff, and the Vice President, Jim Prescott deem this sudden
reluctance to attack as an incapability to hold the office. Earlier in
the day however, Sherry warned him that there were people in his
administration planning to overthrow his presidency.
Prescott
gathers the Cabinet members, and by one vote, David Palmer is removed
from office under the provisions of the 25th Amendment. He sits in a
room as a prisoner for the rest of the day, until Jack provides CTU
with the evidence that the Cyprus Recording is a forgery, and the
attacks are called off by Prescott.
Palmer is reinstated
as
President, and although Prescott and the Cabinet members who voted
against Palmer offer to resign, he does not accept their resignations.
Palmer does, however, immediately relieve Mike Novick of his post as
Chief of Staff. Palmer then goes out to make a statement to the
press, deeming that the threat is over. He shakes hands with many of
the onlookers, one of whom happens to be Mandy, a woman hired in Day 1
to assassinate Palmer. She slips a deadly virus into his hand, and he
collapses to the ground, panting.[3]
