Jonathan Turley on KO: "A Clear Impeachable Offense"

[Berry Cool]

My personal transcript of Jonathan Turley's statement on Countdown with Keith Olbermann tonight in which he called warrantless wiretapping a "clear impeachable offense":

JT: ...I think what we have here again is a very serious question of testimony by Gonzalez which, at the very best, is intentionally misleading, and seems, quite frankly, to be false. And what Congress will do about that is an excellent question, because this isn't, as you know, the first time. And really, the committee is losing all credibility every time this guy walks out of the committee room after being confronted with another falsehood.

KO: It's also been reported that the President personally killed a Justice Department internal probe into all this, and he did so by denying investigators security clearance. Given that Comey's testimony appears to implicate Mr. Bush himself now in the implementation of this wiretap program, and we also know the US Justice Department considered the program illegal, is this meeting the standards for appointing an independent counsel, at minimum, at this point?

JT: Oh, I think that long ago we passed that line. When Congress was under the control of the Republicans, the Democrats couldn't even get a committee hearing, or room. I was called to the first hearing on this by John Conyers. We had to meet in the basement because they wouldn't open up the doors of the committee room. So long ago, there should have been an independent or special counsel.

But the problem comes down to the failure of Congress to deal with what is a very ugly and unfortunate fact: This would be a clear impeachable offense. I don't know of a more clear potential charge of impeachment within the modern Presidency. I mean, this law makes it a crime to order domestic surveillance without a warrant. The President ordered it and renewed it 30 times, and then we find out that the very top of the Justice Department told him, "This is unlawful."

...in some ways, the Framers did it right: The members of Congress, Democrat or Republican, have no excuse not to call a hearing to look at these offenses. They give them all the power they need. But they need to have the conscience and the principles to use that power.

[wordpix]

1. Article 1, Sec. 2 & 3 and Article !!, Sec. 4 of the Constitution

Article I, Section 2

Clause 5: The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

Article I, Section 3

Clause 6: The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

Clause 7: Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party, (defendant), convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.

Under this two-part procedure, the House of Representatives is charged with initiating the process by bringing articles of impeachment against an accused official. The Senate, in turn, tries the accused on the charges provided by the House. Few guidelines exist for these Senate trials. If the President has been impeached, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is designated to preside; the Vice-President has presided in all other instances.

A two-thirds vote of the Senate is necessary to convict and remove the official from office. Those so convicted are barred from holding federal office in the future.

No rule prevents the impeachment of members of the House or Senate, but that action has never been successfully taken.

The Constitution also makes reference to those offenses deemed to be impeachable:

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.

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h231.html

[Jack Rabbit]

4. A quibble

No rule prevents the impeachment of members of the House or Senate, but that action has never been successfully taken.

Impeachment is a checks and balances issue. The clause you cite for Article II in its context makes it clear that civil Officers means members of the executive branch. Congress can expel one of its own members, but that would really be for something special.

In Article III, there is also a clause about impeaching federal judges.

In any case. I've long advocated the impeachment of Bush and Cheney; the NSA spying program is among the grounds cited.

[man4allcats]

2. Conscience, principles...

and balls! Does Congress have them or not? Every once in awhile I like to link to this long running msnbc impeachment poll. Currently there are just under 430,000 signatures with 88% favoring impeachment. There should be four million signatures and more. The entire Bushco crowd should have been behind bars long ago and would have been if this nation still respected its Constitution and the Rule of Law.

[blogslut]

3. Subpoena Ashcroft

:)

[Enthusiast]

7. They would kill Ashcroft............

Bush's secret police would kill Ashcroft before they allowed him to testify.

You know, I always considered Ashcroft another typically miserable Bush appointed ideologue. I was wrong. He was against the wiretaps! Some Republicans are actually ethical.

[firefox_fan]

12. I thought Ashcroft was a bigot, but a coherent one...

He really was the way he was preaching others should be... That I can respect... The phonies who condemn others for behaviors they themselves engage in... Those I cannot stand!

[Gabi Hayes]

5. Turley is on CNN with Anderson Cooper right now, and is ''STUNNED, APPALLED!''

very animated in his response to this story

we know "darn little" about the domestic spying program, even to this day. he just said that

very interesting

[Connie_Corleone]

8. That was Jeffrey Toobin on CNN

[Gabi Hayes]

9. oops....you're right. lawyers all look alike to me. Toobin has more

cred than Turley, anyway

thanks

[DearAbby]

6. Is that table set yet, Madame Speaker? -nt

[calimary]

11. Are we calling every Congressperson we can think of, or have time for,

to urge this?

Please note TOLL FREE Capitol Hill switchboard numbers conveniently located in the sig line below.

Call your reps! And if you have an extra minute, CALL SOMEBODY ELSE'S, TOO! Democrat OR republi-CON!!! Yes, even republi-CON. They, especially, need to feel the heat.

[DearAbby]

15. Kickity

[Lint Head]

10. Clearly criminal. Clearly a felony.

I can see clearly now the chimp is gone. :dem:

[wordpix]

13. "the chimp is gone:" but, when? Monkeyking & his flying monkeys want to run out the clock

[Senator]

14. kick

[calimary]

16. I'm bookmarking this.

I loved that when he came straight out and said this was an IMPEACHABLE offense. Nothing about "might be" or "could be," or "well, maybe if..." or any equivocation AT ALL. Came straight out and said this was IMPEACHABLE. With some really emphatic forcefulness in his voice, too.