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Tag: Impeachment
Join Jim and Greg as they chronicle the Washington Post finally running out of patience and firing Felicia Somnez after she publicly condemned colleagues and the leadership of the paper for a week. They also cringe as inflation numbers are worse than expected and worse than any time since late 1981. And in the wake of the Dems’ prime time January 6th hearings, they react to Bill Kristol’s ridiculous call for Congress to impeach Donald Trump yet again.
On this episode of “The Federalist Radio Hour,” Federalist Political Editor John Daniel Davidson joins Culture Editor Emily Jashinsky to discuss his article “Joe Biden Has Been Derelict In His Duty. He Is Unfit To Lead. He Should Be Impeached.”
Join Jim and Greg as they see the resignation of top aide Melissa DeRosa as a major sign that Gov. Andrew Cuomo might not survive this scandal. They also note more polls showing Californians split on the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom and a majority giving him terrible marks on key issues. And they react to the big Obama birthday bash and wonder whether having a bunch of vaccinated people together without masks is fine or the CDC is serious about vaxxed people staying masked. Because it can’t be both.
Join Jim and Greg as they welcome New York Democrats planning to expedite the impeachment probe of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and a new poll showing most New Yorkers want him out of office. They also hammer President Biden for bringing back the eviction moratorium while admitting the Supreme Court will probably rule against him. And they’re exasperated as NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins goes on national television and tells parents to mask up at home to protect their kids from COVID.
Jim and Greg celebrate the influence of the 3 Martini Lunch as the New York State Assembly begins an impeachment investigation into Gov. Andrew Cuomo just one day after we asked why one had not begun. They also react to Pres. Biden’s COVID speech, with a special focus on his implication that his administration deserves the credit for vaccines and his weak goal of when things can open up again. And they have a lot of fun with the possibility of actor Matthew McConaughey running for governor of Texas.
Join Jim and Greg as they marvel at some Democrats conveniently worrying about our massive debt just one day after passing a bloated COVID relief bill totaling $1.9 trillion and eyeing an even more expensive bill in a couple of months. They also discuss the sixth allegation of sexual harassment against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and when state Democrats will move from muttering things about resignation to an actual impeachment effort. And they discuss the mess at the southern border thanks to Biden’s deportation moratorium and stated plans of a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
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What If They Gave an Impeachment and Nobody Cared?
This week’s Twitter conversation focused on different stories each day. Monday was mostly Super Bowl reactions and making fun of David Hogg’s pillow start-up. Tuesday, it was Gov. Cuomo’s Covid scandal and the guy who logged into a Zoom court hearing with a cat filter. Wednesday, Joss Whedon was blasted for his cruel treatment of actresses and Disney fired Gina Carano from “The Mandalorian” for being conservative. Thursday, the Lincoln Project self-destructed and people canceled their Disney+ subscriptions. Friday, it was some Justin Timberlake scandal and Biden flack T.J. Ducklo threatening a reporter.
There was another big story this week that only the DC media and paycheck politicos seemed to care about. Apparently, the Senate is presiding over the trial of ex-President Trump. Reviewing the top Google searches of the week, nothing related to the impeachment made it to the top 10. Not “Trump,” not “Senate,” not “Constitution,” not “impeachment.” Here on the western edge of flyover country, no one has mentioned it in real life, not even at a long, robust, 20-person gathering I attended Thursday.
Much like Trump’s previous Senate impeachment trial, the general public could not care less.
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TurleyVision 1999: Impeachment as a Madisonian Device
My dear spouse occasionally forwards me the legal theories of Jonathan Turley, who currently argues Trump’s impeachment trial is unconstitutional now that Trump is a former official. Curious as to what Turley had to say about impeachment before Trump, I did some digging and struck a mother lode: Turley’s 146-page 1999 Duke Law Journal article, Senate Trials and Factional Disputes: Impeachment As A Madisonian Device. Turley’s reasons for publishing such a masterwork in 1999 may not have been dispassionate, since he had recently testified at Bill Clinton’s impeachment, but since Trump’s presidency wasn’t even a gleam in the old GOP elephant’s eye back then, Turley’s thoughts on impeachment in 1999 should at least be free of any bias for or against Trump. Those with the patience to read — or at least skim — Impeachment As A Madisonian Device will be rewarded with plenty of information on impeachment’s constitutional function and history that’s interesting in its own right, and a perspective in which the non-juridical, political nature of impeachment transcends mere raw exercise of power.
Impeachment As A Madisonian Device extensively surveys the constitutional history of impeachment. Its thesis is that the impeachment process, declared first in the House, then passed to the Senate for trial, culminates in
A Lie Will Go Round The World. . .
. . . While Truth is Pulling Its Boots On.
The origins of that quote and its variations are in some doubt. It is frequently misattributed to Mark Twain and Winston Churchill. Variations are attributed to everything from a Chinese proverb to famous statesmen, such as John Randolph, or famous preachers, such as Charles Spurgeon, who did say this:
The news might be all bad today but we’re still having fun! Join Jim and Greg as they discuss the Virginia Education Association strongly opposing Gov. Ralph Northam’s demand for in-person schooling by mid-March and none of the Democrats running for governor this year having the guts to stand up for the kids or the science against the union. They also cringe in recounting the opening arguments made by the Trump legal team on Tuesday, but will the quality of the lawyers have any impact on the outcome? And they unload on Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who won’t criticize China but is cancelling the national anthem at home games this season.
On this episode of “The Federalist Radio Hour,” Federalist Western Correspondent Tristan Justice joins Culture Editor Emily Jashinsky to break down the second impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump and how it compares to the Democrats’ first attempt to impeach and remove him just one year ago.
45 of 50 Senate Republicans Oppose Trump Trial
The Hill is reporting that 45 of 50 Republicans in the US Senate voted in favor of a motion made by Sen. Rand Paul contending that the proposed impeachment trial of former President Trump is unconstitutional. Story here. All 50 Senate Democrats voted against the motion.
The five dissenting Republicans are:
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The Politics of Impeachment: Watching High Stakes Poker
Normal Americans not consumed with politics may understandably be confused about what’s happening with the impeachment of now-former President Donald Trump. Allow me to share with you the political machinations likely driving what is, or is not, transpiring.
First, the January 6th breach of the Capitol by a hundred or so extremists opened a political opportunity for Democrats – not just to blame President Trump for “inciting” violence, but to drive a wedge between establishment Republicans and Trump supporters. They rightly figured that House and Senate Republicans, among others, would recoil at the violence and damage done to the Capitol.
They were correct. And they responded with a hurried, even “emergency” impeachment of President Trump. No hearings, no investigation, no Judiciary Committee vote, no due process of any kind. And it passed on a largely party-line vote, with 10 Republicans joining in. Establishment Republicans, including reputed New York Times “conservative” columnist Bret Stephens, praised House Conference Lynn Cheney and 9 of her colleagues for their “courage.”
The Trial That Should Not Be
Last week, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Donald Trump for “incitement of insurrection,” stemming chiefly from his remarks before a large crowd near the White House on January 6. As I have previously written, serious questions still remain as to whether those charges are valid as a matter of fact and law. But assuming they are, the question is what comes next.
Press coverage is mostly limited to tactical and political issues. On the Democratic side, the chief concerns are the timing and form of the expected trial. Should Speaker Nancy Pelosi delay sending the article of impeachment to the Senate to give House leaders more time to gather evidence to strengthen their case? Or will that delay undercut the perceived public urgency of the trial? If there is an impeachment trial, will that slow down the Senate confirmations of top cabinet officials or the passage of Joe Biden’s legislative agenda? On the Republican side, the question arises of whether individual senators should break ranks with Trump and convict him, even if most Republican voters are as strongly opposed to conviction as Democratic voters are in favor of it.
In an important sense, these questions put the cart before the horse. First, we must ask whether the Senate even has the power to try this impeachment once the president is out of office. As a textual matter, the answer is no. There are two relevant provisions in the Constitution: Article I, Section 3, and Article II, Section 4. Article I, Section 3, gives the sole power of impeachment to the Senate. First, a simple declarative sentence provides that “When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside.” The key word is “the” as in “the President.” The word “the” is used instead of the word “a.” “The” has a definite reference to the president now sitting in office, which will be Joe Biden on January 20. Once Donald Trump is out of office, he cannot be tried under this provision.
Impeachment of a Former President is Unconstitutional
As pointed out by Senator Tom Cotton, impeachment and conviction of a former President is not allowed by the impeachment provisions of the Constitution which provide in so many words that upon a conviction in the Senate the President shall be removed from office.
That is pretty obvious, which of course means that the Democrats and the DemMedia will either ignore the point or ridicule the argument.