"treason, bribery, high crimes and misdemeanors." Contrary to what the author claims, that standard is NOT 'broad'"
I'll let you argue the legal case for due process with those scholars.The reality is that, so far, Trump's had more due process than any other individual being investigated and indicted by a grand jury. Those people usually don't even know they are under investigation. No private citizen gets to have an advocate in a grand jury hearing, but Trump had them.Trump's defenders had lawyers and questions in both open and closed settings, and transcripts of the closed hearings were published. Trump was allowed to have a lawyer present, and chose not to.
High crime and misdemeanors does cover a variety of sins that only a person in high authority can pull off. History offers some guidance...for instance, the Judiciary Committee voted out articles against Nixon for...obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress.
"redefine those words like Bill Clinton redefined the word 'is'"
For Trump, the easiest solution is just cut and paste his name and appropriate dates in the Nixon articles.
Article I, charging Nixon with obstruction of justice, alleged in part that:
On June 17, 1972, and prior thereto, agents of the Committee for the Re-election of the President committed unlawful entry of the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in Washington, District of Columbia, for the purpose of securing political intelligence. Subsequent thereto, Richard M. Nixon, using the powers of his high office, engaged personally and through his close subordinates and agents, in a course of conduct or plan designed to delay, impede, and obstruct the investigation of such illegal entry; to cover up, conceal and protect those responsible; and to conceal the existence and scope of other unlawful covert activities. [1] [66]
The article also specified nine ways by which the president was alleged to have carried out the plan to obstruct the investigation. [156]
Article II, charging Nixon with abuse of power, alleged in part that:
Using the powers of the office of President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in disregard of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has repeatedly engaged in conduct violating the constitutional rights of citizens, impairing the due and proper administration of justice and the conduct of lawful inquiries, or contravening the laws governing agencies of the executive branch and the purposes of these agencies. [1] [66
Article III, charging Nixon with contempt of Congress alleged in part that:
In his conduct of the office of President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, contrary to his oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has failed without lawful cause or excuse to produce papers and things as directed by duly authorized subpoenas issued by the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives on April 11, 1974, May 15, 1974, May 30, 1974, and June 24, 1974, and willfully disobeyed such subpoenas. The subpoenaed papers and things were deemed necessary by the Committee in order to resolve by direct evidence fundamental, factual questions relating to Presidential direction, knowledge or approval of actions demonstrated by other evidence to be substantial grounds for impeachment of the President. In refusing to produce these papers and things Richard M. Nixon, substituting his judgment as to what materials were necessary for the inquiry, interposed the powers of the Presidency against the lawful subpoenas of the House of Representatives, thereby assuming to himself functions and judgments necessary to the exercise of the sole power of impeachment vested by the Constitution in the House of Representatives. [1] [66]
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