The Huge Flaw in the Impeachment “Debate”

Everyone seems to be giving Republicans a pass on keeping their oath of office to the Constitution. Enough already.

Just so we’re grounded in reality, here’s the section of the U.S. Constitution on impeachment, which gives the power to impeach to the legislative branch (the House of Representatives impeaches and the Senate convicts):

Article II, Section 4: “The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”

You know what it does not say anywhere in the Constitution? “The President…shall be removed from office by the opposing political party.”

The two factions in this potential legal battle are not Republicans and Democrats; they are (a) the President/executive branch and (b) the legislative branch.

But you wouldn’t know that by looking at nearly 100% of the media coverage and social media discussions. Apparently it’s all on the Democrats.

Here was a remarkable exchange between CNN’s Anderson Cooper and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren last night during a town hall (see the video here).

Anderson Cooper: You have called for impeachment proceedings to be initiated for President Trump. What do you say to Democrats who say this is not the time, it’s going to take away focus from winning in 2020?

Senator Warren: There is no political inconvenience exception to the United States Constitution. [She then goes on to talk about her logic for supporting impeachment proceedings.]

Cooper: “Doesn’t putting Democrats’ focus on impeaching the president, which is not going to pass in the Senate — it’s not really going to go anywhere in that sense — doesn’t that take away focus from the table-top issues that Democrats say they want to run on.”

Amazing. We’re just assuming here that the Senate, because it is majority controlled by the party of the president, will not do its job and uphold the Constitution…or that Republicans in the House will also be derelict.