JCP, > The Founders presumed that impeachment would be used often, for a variety of reasons, not all of them criminal. Incompetence should well fall into this category.
I doubt it. The original wording is "high crimes and misdemeanors." Does that suggest a high standard or a low one?
Committing a misdemeanor is not an example of a high standard. Shoplifting is a misdemeanor.......I don't consider that a high crime. Because high crimes and misdemeanors are linked together its assumed the transgression has to be serious. That's not correct. Here are some examples of the impeachment of lesser officials:
The first official impeached in this country was Senator William Blount of Tennessee for a plot to help the British seize Louisiana and Florida from Spain in 1797. The Senate dismissed the charges on Jan. 14, 1799, determining that it had no jurisdiction over its own members. The Senate and the House do, however, have the right to discipline their members, and the Senate expelled Blount the day after his impeachment.
Treason: a serious crime
Judge John Pickering of New Hampshire was the first impeached official actually convicted. He was found guilty of drunkenness and unlawful rulings, on March 12, 1804, and was believed to have been insane.
Drunkeness: most of Congress could be impeached on this one.
Associate Justice Samuel Chase , a strong Federalist, was impeached but acquitted of judicial bias against anti-Federalists. The acquittal on March 1, 1805, established that political differences were not grounds for impeachment.
Political differences is not ground for impeachment.
Other officials impeached were implicated in bribery, cheating on income tax, perjury, and treason.
More examples of impeachable offenses.
infoplease.com
Funny how during the Lewinsky scandal, Democrats were arguing for the higher standard.
Because it was a witch hunt done on the basis of partisanship. The fact that Clinton committed adultery was not the business of Congress. But the GOP made it their business.
Now with Bush in office and the Dems in control on Congress, you want to argue for the lower standard?
Bush started a war on false premises..........you don't think that's a serious crime? |
